Is wine healthy? In moderation and as part of an overall healthy lifestyle, the short answer is yes! Thanks to its alcohol content and nonalcoholic phytochemicals (naturally occurring plant compounds), wine has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and certain cancers and slow the progression of neurological degenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease.

However, the amount of wine you drink matters tremendously. When you drink more than what's recommended, your health benefits are lost and your health risks go up. Here's what's considered safe and effective:

Men: no more than 2 drinks per day

Women: no more than 1 drink per day

"One drink" is defined as a 5-ounce glass of red or white wine, 12 ounces of regular beer (1 bottle), or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits.

Here’s what we know about wine's health benefits:

It's been well documented that moderate amounts of alcohol can raise your good cholesterol (HDL-cholesterol) and thin your blood. This is considered one of the primary cardiovascular benefits from wine (red and white), as well as from hard liquor and beer. Nonalcoholic phytochemicals in wine, such as flavanoids and resveratrol, act as antioxidants and prevent molecules known as "free radicals" from causing cellular damage in the body.

Resveratrol has been shown to prevent blood clotting and plaque formation in arteries by altering lipid profiles and plasma viscosity (although some studies focusing on the health benefits of resveratrol involved much greater dosages than you'd find in an average glass of wine). Findings from a recent study suggest that resveratrol can produce potent antithrombotic agents that can potentially improve cardiovascular health and lower the risk for coronary heart disease. In animal studies, resveratrol reduced tumor incidence by affecting one or more stages of cancer development.

Red wine provides much more resveratrol than white. That's because the longer the skin is kept on the grape during the wine making process, the greater the concentration of resveratrol in the wine. In white wine production, the skin is removed before fermentation, giving white wines a lower concentration in resveratrol than red wines. Also, wines made in cooler climates have greater amounts of resveratrol. So red wines from cool climates offer the most benefits. However, before you raise your glass, check out my next entry on medical conditions that warrant caution with wine drinking.

By Joy Bauer, M.S., R.D., C.D.N.

Delicious, low-calorie, and brimming with antioxidants, tea is quickly becoming the most commonly consumed beverage worldwide, after water. Even in the U.S., its popularity is rapidly growing. And why not? With the health benefits you stand to gain, you, too, will want to drink up.

Soak Up the Health Benefits

It is no wonder that tea is the beverage most commonly enjoyed by centenarians around the world. Tea is full of powerful antioxidants that improve concentration, gently boost energy, and make people happier. The free radical-inhibiting property of tea is more potent than that of vitamin E, and tea is a proven preventive and treatment for atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). The polyphenols in tea, especially the catechins, are powerful antioxidants that help ward off diabetes and cancer.

To get the most health from your tea, brew it fresh from tea bags or loose leaves and herbs, as instant and bottled teas contain less active compounds. Let the tea steep for three to five minutes to extract the most beneficial compounds. Drink to your health!

Cut the Morning Coffee

For many people, the first thing they reach for in the morning is coffee. Although it may initially give you a jolt, coffee actually depletes your vital essence, "borrowing" energy that you didn't have in the first place.

Caffeine acts as a central nervous system stimulant. It causes you to experience stress, anxiety, a racing mind, and even insomnia, working against your attempts to relax the body and calm the mind. A healthier alternative to coffee is herbal tea. On average, a cup of black tea contains about one third of the caffeine you would get from the same cup of coffee. Green tea contains about one sixth of that amount.

Of course, caffeine content will vary depending on the particular tea and the brewing time. One way to naturally decaffeinate your tea is to steep for 45 seconds, pour out the liquid but keep the tea leaves, then add fresh boiling water and let it steep for 3-5 minutes or longer to allow the beneficial polyphenols to be extracted from the tea.

Slim Down with Tea

As a weight loss tool, tea is a wonderfully cleansing way to flush the system, replace fluids - and pump the body full of powerful antioxidants at the same time. Aside from the health benefits, tea is a zero-calorie beverage, making it your best choice for weight loss. Pass on the diet soda, loaded with sugar and bone-weakening bubbles, and go for tea.

It is best to drink tea unsweetened and without milk, which can minimize some of the health benefits. To sweeten the tea without the extra calories, forgo the sugar and try instead honey, stevia products, or a stick of cinnamon.

The Healthy Varieties of Herbal Teas

Aromatic and chock full of amazing health benefits, herbal teas are made from various leaves, roots, bark, or flowers. Here are just a few:

• Ginger: Soothes the digestive system and keeps your energy fired up
• Chamomile: Settles the stomach and is calming and soothing for the nervous system
• Peppermint: Increases healthy gastric secretions, relaxes the intestines, and settles the stomach
• Dandelion: Detoxifies and supports healthy liver functions
• Valerian: A natural herbal substitute for sleeping pills

You can combine these herbs in any combination according to your taste and health preferences. Among my patients, an incredibly popular herbal tea is Internal Cleanse Tea, which is specially combined to detoxify, calm nerves, clear the mind, balance emotions, and ease digestion.

By Dr. Maoshing Ni

Elderly men and women who sip on several cups of green tea a day may be less likely to have the blues, hint findings of a study from Japan.

Dr. Kaijun Niu, at Tohoku University Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering in Sendai, and colleagues found men and women aged 70 and older who drank four or more, versus one or fewer, cups of green tea daily were 44 percent less likely to have symptoms of depression.

Several prior studies have linked green tea consumption to reduced levels of psychological distress. This led Niu and colleagues to look at associations between drinking green tea and symptoms of depression in 1,058 relatively healthy elderly individuals.

About 34 percent of the men and 39 percent of the women had symptoms of depression, according to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. These symptoms were severe in about 20 percent of the men and in about 24 percent of the women.

Overall, 488 participants said they drank four or more cups of green tea a day, 284 said they downed two to three cups daily and the remaining 286 reported having one or fewer cups daily.

According to the investigators, the apparent protective effect of greater green tea consumption on symptoms of depression did not fade after they factored in social and economic status, gender, diet, history of medical problems, use of antidepressant medications, smoking, and physical activity.

By contrast, there was no association between consumption of black or oolong tea, or coffee, and lower symptoms of depression.

A green tea component, the amino acid theanine, which is thought to have a tranquilizing effect on the brain, may explain the “potentially beneficial effect” shown in the current study, Niu noted in an email to Reuters Health.

However, further studies are necessary to confirm whether greater green tea intake actually has antidepressant effects. Therefore, Niu shied away from recommending greater green tea intake to minimize depression among the elderly.

By Joene Hendry
Source:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2009