Is wine healthy for you? The truth about wine.

So lately I've been enjoying a lot wine. Many of my clients and friends are wine enthusiasts, and I typically get a lot of wine gifts! I've always loved wine and will enjoy at least a few glasses a week, but I couldn't help but wonder if I'm doing my body more harm than good. So I collected the facts, and here is the truth we've all been wondering about!

Keep reading below to see how you can determine the kind of wine it is through colours!

We'll start with the PROS:

1. You'll live longer. 
Enjoying a nightly glass of wine may lead to a longer life. Regular wine drinkers have a 34 percent lower rate of mortality than their beer or liquor-drinking buds. And if you're living longer, you may as well look younger while you're at it, right? You can thank the researchers at Harvard Medical School for this one. The compound resveratrol, which is found in red wine, has been linked to having anti-aging properties.

2. You won't get burned. 
Here's another way your glass of wine can make you look younger. It protects your skin from the sun! A Spanish study in The Journal of Agricultural Food and Chemistry found that the antioxidants in wine can protect our skin from sunburn. When our skin is exposed to harmful UV rays, it sets off a chemical reaction in the body. This chemical reaction causes skin cells to become damaged and burned. Flavonoids, antioxidants found in grapes, can stop the chemical process that kills skin cells and leads to sunburn.

3. Heart Health.
Red wine has long been thought to protect our hearts. Red wine contains tannins, which have procyanidins that protect against heart disease. Tannins are the compounds in wine that are responsible for that dry taste.

4. Lowers Risk of Cancer.
Regular alcohol consumption raises breast cancer risk, except for red wine, which has the opposite effect when consumed in moderation, researchers from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles reported in the Journal of Women's Health. The authors explained that the chemicals in the seeds and skins of red grapes slightly reduce estrogen levels and raise testosterone among premenopausal females - thus reducing their breast cancer risk.

5. Brain Health.
Having that nightly wine may even protect your brain from a blood clot or bleed. People who drink one or two drinks per night have an eight percent lower risk of having a stroke. However, don't go crazy. Heavy drinkers, having at least four drinks per night, have a 14 percent increased risk of stroke than those who don't drink or only drink occasionally. A glass of red wine with dinner may also put you at lower risk for dementia. Moderate red wine drinkers have a 23 percent lower risk of developing dementia than those who don't drink.

6. Reduces Inflammation and has Potential to Increase Lifespan.
One of the reasons why red wine may be so beneficial for our hearts is because it decreases inflammation. It's inflammation of the heart muscle that can lead to big problems such as a heart attack. Red wine contains the key ingredient resveratrol. This compound helps prevent damage to blood vessels and prevents blood clots. According to the Mayo Clinic, it may also be helpful with lowering our risk for inflammation. Resveratrol comes from the skin of the grapes used to make wine and helps protect and heal tissue inside your body.

Okay, so that was a lot of pros and you probably want to chug a bottle of wine, right? 

Let's analyze the CONS:

1. The Downsides for Women.
Women process alcohol at a much, much slower rate than men. We retain all fluids for longer, in fact, and we metabolize the chemicals in alcohol at a slower rate. This means the physical impact of alcohol is much stronger and faster for women than for men. Chronic drinking can cause a variety of problems in the female reproductive system, including increased estrogen.  Abnormal menstrual cycles and failure to ovulate are two of the main effects alcohol has on females.

2. The Downsides for Men. 
Alcohol can affect the male reproductive system by causing reduced testosterone levels. Prolonged use can also cause the testes to shrink, which can result in infertility, impotence and secondary sexual characteristics that are reduced. Examples of the latter are breast enlargement, reduced chest and facial hair and a shift in fat distribution to the hip area from the abdomen. Alcohol also affects how hormones are released from the pituitary and hypothalamus glands, which can cause problems for male reproductive and sexual functions.

3. Loss of Nutrients.
Drinking alcohol forces the liver to use your store of antioxidants and vitamin C to break it down, which leaves you vitamin and mineral deficient. This is especially problematic if you know you are already dealing with a deficiency.

4. Extra Calories!
This is the big thing nobody likes to admit…. The average glass of red wine contains 100 calories. Alcohol also changes the way your metabolism works, forcing your body to deal with it first before it processes any protein, carbohydrates or other nutrients. If you’re trying to lose weight even one glass with dinner might be too much.

5. It's a Depressant.
We often reach for a drink because we want it to make us feel happy or sexy, alcohol is actually a depressant. Drinking alcohol drains the adrenals and makes you feel more tired and down.

6. Ruins your Sleep.
You might fall asleep faster when you have a nightcap but you still won’t sleep as well. Alcohol actually disrupts your REM sleep phase, the most important phase for your physical and mental well being. This effect is more dramatic among women. If you sleep for the right number of hours but still feel exhausted maybe it’s the glass of wine you need to get rid of.

So after conducting all this research, I have decided to cut back my consumption. I value a good night's rest (as it is true that I don't sleep as well after drinking) and am trying to shed a few pounds before summer rolls around. I also want to protect my reproductive system as I plan to conceive later on in life. This doesn't mean I won't be craving a glass every night though!

Cheers! Happy and safe drinking to all :) xox