Healthy Benefits of Wine
How Wine Benefits the Immune and Cardiovascular Systems
The stress involved in the daily lives of contemporary Americans puts many individuals at risk for various kinds of heart disease, and makes maintaining a healthy immune system very difficult. Fighting off illness with a weak immune system is even more challenging for the body. Wine, in moderation, has many healthy benefits, including the diminishment of cold symptoms and a speedier recovery from them, as well as the reduction of risk of many cardiovascular diseases.
One of the causes of illness is stress. Too much stress strains and reduces the effectiveness of the immune system; it constricts the blood vessels and arteries, raising blood pressure. This strain on the immune system leaves the body more vulnerable to illness. Stress also increases the risk of cardiovascular dieases, heart attack, and stroke because of raised blood pressure levels.
Wine Reduces Stress
One of the healthy benefits of wine is that it helps the immune system, reducing the symptoms of the common cold by reducing stress. Wine reduces stress by relaxing the muscles that control arteries, aiding blood flow. The more easily blood flows through the body, the more easily the body is able to absorb nutrients, which strengthens the immune system against illness.
The relaxing of arterial muscles and easier blood flow, due to moderate wine consumption, also has a tendency to improve cardiovascular health. While blood pressure is lowered, the risk of stroke and heart attack is also lowered. There is also evidence to show that a small amount of wine consumption is associated with the reduction of coronary heart disease, as well as other cardiovascular diseases.
Wine and Antioxidants
It is well known that antioxidants are crucial as a part of immune system support. Grapes, particularly their skins and seeds, are high in antioxidants. Another of wine's healthy benefits, being made from grapes, is its high levels of antioxidants. This is also how wine supports the immune system and helps the body fight off illness.
Antioxidants not only support the immune system, but they also prevent cell damage. Therefore, when one drinks a moderate amount of wine, the lowered rates of cell damage allow the body to repair itself more quickly. This means a faster recovery rate when one is sick--yet another healthy benefit of wiine.
Wine and Alcohol
The micro-organisms that cause illness are too numerous to count. One wine's healthy benefits is, somewhat ironically, the presence of alcohol. When the alcohol from wine is present in the body, it is much more difficult for the micro-organisms that cause illness and disease to survive. Therefore, a small amount of wine can potentially kill the catalysts of illness before they even have a chance to take hold, and before the body has a chance to develop symptoms of that illness.
Potential Risks: Drinking Responsibly
The amount of wine and individual should consume varies from individual to individual, of course, but most doctors recommend that men limit themselves to no more than two or three glasses a day, and women should limit themselves to only one. The reason for these limitations is due to increased risk of diabetes, breast cancer, migraines, and weight gain if too much wine is consumed. While overall risk for illness decreases with moderate consumption of wine, overconsumption of wine often results in exponentially increased risk of the aforementioned illnesses. Please drink responsibly.
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