THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF MODERATE WINE CONSUMPTION

The health benefit of a moderate wine consumption is an idea that has been commented on by word of mouth, for some years now. Recently, medical publications have published articles and studies supporting this concept.

In the press, informative programs include interviews of doctors and experts in the nutrition field who recommend the drinking of wine in moderation. But the normal consumer may ask the very reasonable question: What is “moderate wine consumption?”, or, “How much wine can be consumed without passing the limits?” We can define “moderate consumption” as the quantity of wine that can be consumed daily with the idea of benefiting our health and without being harmful for our health.

Depending on our own personal, physical characteristics such as weight, height, age, health record, etc., according to clinical and analytical studies, it has been established that what each individual may consume is proportionate to the volume of ml. multiplied by the alcoholic content times one thousand. Expressed mathematically, it would be: Unit = Volume en ml. x alcoholic content divided by 1,000.

Since 1990, a number of studies have coincided and indicate that people who consume moderate quantities of wine show less cardiovascular diseases. In general terms, the results suggest a decrease of between 30-40% in people who risk suffering heart-related deceases.

The reasons for the decrease in cardiovascular deceases can be explained in three ways:

1) An increase of Cholesterol HDL (“Good Cholesterol”): These high-density lipoproteins actively participate in the purifying of excess cholesterol in the body.
2) A decrease of Cholesterol LDL (“Bad Cholesterol”): The risk of heart ailments increases with the high concentration of LDL because when cholesterol is transported in this form, it is easily attached to the cardiovascular vessels and walls which, in turn, favour the appearance of arteriosclerosis injuries.
3) A decrease in the above mentioned mechanisms affect coagulation and plaque aggregation.

*Data facilitated by the Fundación para la Investigación del Vine y la Nutrición (FIVIN)