Cheers! There’s good news about white wine and just in time to celebrate on white wine day this August 3rd. So, let’s raise a glass and learn how white wine is not only a fresh summer must, but also a healthy beverage option with your favorite meal.
Just remember that while drinking white wine may come with some health benefits, heavy drinking comes with health problems. The Centers for Disease Control have set a serving of wine at 5 ounces. Having one or two servings of wine per day can be good for your health in the following ways.
Health Benefits of White Wine
While red wine is often the one people point to when they’re extolling the virtues of wine, this doesn’t mean that white wine is out of the running. If you love white wine, you’ll be happy to know that it does have some benefits of its own.
1. Heart Health
A 2018 study published in Clinical Nutrition looked at wine and the effects of the polyphenols in wine on cardiovascular disease. Polyphenols are powerful antioxidants found in plants. They’re known to prevent metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes and heart disease.
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While red wine has ten times more polyphenols than white wine, white wine still has some cardioprotective elements. In the study, it’s suggested that tyrosols, caffeic acid, and shikimic acids in white wines are the reason for this heart benefit.
2. Heart and Kidney Benefits
The caffeic acid mentioned above could play a big role in your heart health and give you kidney benefits, too. An article in PLoS One points out that both cardiovascular disease and chronic kidney diseases create oxidant stress, which reduced the nitric oxide available.
They then looked at the Mediterranean diet, which is also high in phenols and helps to reduce cardiovascular disease. Pairing the two ideas and focusing on the caffeic acid in white wine, they found that very low doses of caffeic acid had a protective effect on the body by modulating the nitric oxide available. They feel that this may limit cardiovascular and kidney disease.
3. Repairs Endothelial Cells
Curious about the commonly held belief that wine has the ability to reduce cardiovascular risk factors, a study published in ScienceDirect decided to take on white wine, aged white wine to be exact, and compare it to gin.
The study fed 38 high-risk males 30 grams of alcohol a day, either gin or aged white wine, for three weeks. The results proved that white wine showed a noticeable increase in endothelial progenitor cells, which are cells that are essential for repairing tissue if there’s been a heart event of some sort.
Not only that but markers that were improved after the consumption of white wine, which led to the conclusion that white wine has a greater ability to repair and maintain heart health than gin. The assumption is that it’s related to the grape contribution.
4. Decreased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry published a study that looked specifically at the polyphenols from the white wine and if they had any effect on the rate of cognitive decline found in Alzheimer’s disease.
It must be noted that this study was performed on mice and not humans, so the results have not been proven in human models yet. But the findings are pretty exciting for a number of reasons. They show that the polyphenols in white wine promoted the accumulation of positive derivatives while also decreasing membrane lipids oxidation.
5. Healthier Lungs
It’s time to breathe easy, at least after you’ve had that glass of white wine. The University at Buffalo released a study that puts white wine ahead of red when it comes to lung function.
Looking at the reported drinking habits of 1555 individuals, they were able to classify them by their beverage of choice. The researchers then tested lung function, and they found a correlation between the white wine drinkers and stronger lungs.
While there is evidence that alcohol can increase the oxidative burden on the body, there is also a lot of evidence showing that the antioxidants, flavonoids, and phenols in wine have a positive effect on lung health and function.
6. Reduced Hangover
Now, this certainly is good news. If you’re someone who suffers from hangovers, you know there’s just about anything you’ll do to get rid of one or not have it at all.
Well, hangovers are caused by congeners, which is a chemical byproduct that creates the taste, color, and aroma of an alcoholic beverage.
The good news here is that white wine has lower levels of congeners in it than red wine. So, if you’re faced with the decision of white or red, opt for white to increase the odds you’ll have a better tomorrow.
Living Well
Whether you’re ready to make the switch to white wine permanently or not, the least you can do is sit back and try a sip on White Wine Day.
While you’re enjoying your glass of vino, remember that along the way, you’re helping your heart, your kidneys, your endothelial cells, your lungs, and you’re possibly reducing your chance of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Not only are you treating your body to all of those health benefits, but it’s also less likely to fight back with a hangover when you stick to white wine.
Just remember that drinking in moderation, one to two 5 ounce glasses, is what is best for your health. Any amount over that is considered detrimental, and it’s better not to drink at all. Unfortunately, this is not one of those situations where the more you have, the better it is for you.
On the upside, you no longer need to feel guilty about enjoying a glass of white wine with your evening meal. You’re doing it for your health after all!
