Drink red wine for good health…but how much and what vintage?

Most of us are aware that those who imbibe red wine reap health benefits such as protection against neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, and heart disease and may prolong life, but to what extent? Moreover, what brand or vintage provides the greatest health perks?¹

These are precisely the questions that researchers at Hertfordshire University in England posed and ones that have prompted their investigation into various red wines to gauge their preventative properties. Per Dr Richard Hoffman and colleague, not all red wines are created equal, that is, some may act differently than others. Along with one of his students, Dr. Hoffman is randomly testing different red wines to determine their levels of resveratrol, a natural antioxidant found in both red wine and red grape skins, that has been associated with the aforementioned health benefits.¹

When you are cruising your local liquor shop or perhaps favorite vineyard, you may notice a warning or two on various wine labels, such as: “Warning: the consumption of wine during pregnancy may cause birth defects.” or “Warning: this wine contains sulfites.” However, once Dr. Hoffman and colleague quantify and determine the resveratrol levels in different bottles of red,¹ wine labels may read a little something like this:

“Good times, good friends, good heart – drink Winston Farms vintage 2007”

“Contains 5 mL resveratrol: eat, drink, and live long”

“Save time and gain mind in a bottle”

Okay, so future wine labels may not be so poetic (!) However, Dr. Hoffman and colleague aim to rank the healthiest bottles of red wine and eventually collaborate with wine suppliers and retailers and encourage health labels on their products. Ideally, these researchers would like consumers to have the ability to “go along to the supermarket and to be able to know at a glance the levels of resveratrol contained in the wines that they are choosing” added Dr. Hoffman.¹

I am not sure if the US is following suit on an investigation such as this. Yet it would be nice to have a little more information, be it positive or negative, when I select a bottle of wine for friends or family members. If positive health benefits were adequately tested, proven, and listed on a bottle of wine, I would be more likely to purchase it and toast to good health.

Reference
1. Is your favourite red wine really that good for you? Medical News Today Web site. April 23, 2007. Available at: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=68600. Accessed April 2007.