Health and Wine 101 | Drinking and P90X

By Jeff Ochoa January 14, 2010 Benefits of Wine, Nutrition 1 Comment

Wine and Health I have been getting a lot of questions from people asking if they can still drink wine while doing P90X? I always say anything in moderation but don’t go crazy. (even though I don’t always follow the rules) Here is an article I put together on the health benefits of wine.

Wine and health have long been proven to have a strong correlation with each other. In fact, during ancient times, the nutritive and healthful properties of wine were already recognized and given much attention. For instance, Hippocrates, a famous Greek physician who is considered as the Father of Medicine, often recommended particular wines in order to heal fever and wounds or as nutritional supplements. This only affirms that wines can actually be beneficial and helpful for the human body.

Pathogens, or disease-producing agents like viruses and bacteria, that thrive in the body are killed by the alcohols and acids in the wine. Wine is also considered as a gentle natural tranquilizer as it serves to decrease tension and anxiety. When included in a normal diet, the wine gives the body energy, small amounts of vitamins and minerals, and other substances that hasten digestion. Wine is also viewed to stimulate the appetite and to bring back nutritional balance in the body. The wine also performs as a mild euphoric agent to the sick and the aged.

A 1970 Framingham Heart Study revealed that deaths of moderate drinkers were only half of those deaths caused by coronary disease of non-drinkers. Another study, published in January 2003 by the American Journal of Gastroenterology, also affirmed the health benefits of wine, as it showed that when wine is moderately and regularly consumed, there is a lesser risk of peptic ulcers and the wine aids in killing the bacteria that cause them. It is important to note, though, that over-consumption of wine only increases ulcer risks and other diseases, so wine should only be consumed in moderate amounts.

Moderate consumption of wine could possibly be a way of prevention against forms of cancer and coronary diseases. Compounds found in grapes and wine are also shown to boost the immune system, as proven by many statistical and clinical evidences and laboratory studies. Moreover, wine also dilates the small blood vessels and aids in preventing clotting and angina, or throat diseases.

Meanwhile, according to American Journal of Physiology in 2004, resveratrol, a compound found in grapes and wine, is able to form a protein that creates a condition termed as cardio fibrosis, where the heart’s pumping efficiency is decreased in times of stress. Resveratrol also lengthens the life span of yeast cells by 80%, a finding revealed in the May 8, 2003 issue of the Nature journal. This may lead to the conclusion that wine keeps those who drink it younger. As long as consumed in light and moderate amounts, wine may prevent or postpone the development of different forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases.

The hundreds or thousands of studies conducted over time on the health benefits can only lead to the idea that moderate and regular drinking of wine leads to a longer life. The advice by medicine experts and scientists is to drink wine in moderation and together with meals. Here, wine drinking is likely to create sociological and cultural patterns which in truth help in preventing alcoholism. Health-conscious people can enjoy drinking wine at a regular and moderate manner as a source of pleasure, supporting and prolonging a gracious life. It only entails responsibility and discipline to provide your body with the wide array of health benefits that wine offers.