18 Benefits of Wine for Your Health and Emotional Well Being

Posted on by Mischelle Sandowich

18 Benefits of WineWine is a gift to the human race. What makes wine a gift and not a curse? The answer is in the benefits of wine for your health and emotional well-being. So far we have looked at wine solely from a biblical perspective, but today we will look at 18 science based benefits of wine. If you’ve missed the previous posts, to date we have

Today we will talk about the health benefits of wine from a scientific approach. But first, let’s recap two clear benefits of wine in the Bible as we begin our dialogue. We provide the scientific data as a means to support the Bible’s claims. So first we must be sure the Bible makes these claims — then we can evaluate the supporting evidence for the benefits of wine. Science is often wrong or mistaken — the Bible is not. So let’s start there.

  • Paul instructed Timothy to have a little wine for his frequent ailments — 1 Timothy 5:23
  • The Bible teaches that God gave wine to make man’s heart glad — Psalm 104:15

These two verses are sufficient to show that wine has both health benefits and emotional benefits. (Please view previous posts for a more thorough argument.) So what does science say about the benefits of wine consumed in moderation?

18 Health and Emotional Benefits of Wine:

1. Wine has the ability to ward off the common cold

According to the New York Times, “researchers at Carnegie Mellon in 1993, looked at 391 adults and found that resistance to colds increased with moderate drinking, except in smokers.” And another study in The American Journal of Epidemiology  showed that “drinking 8 to 14 glasses of wine per week, particularly red wine, was linked to as much as a 60 percent reduction in the risk of developing a cold. The scientists suspected this had something to do with the antioxidant properties of wine.”

 2. Compounds in wine can protect against heart disease

According to the National Institute of Health, “Polyphenols…have been studied to determine if their intake may modify cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk….recent evidence suggests that immunomodulatory and vasodilatory properties of polyphenols may…contribute to CVD risk reduction…laboratories, have suggested that these beneficial effects are due to polyphenols found in red wine, especially resveratrol in grape skins. These benefits include a reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.”

3. Red wine in moderation reduces risk of heart attack

The Mayo Clinic reports: “Red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent coronary artery disease, the condition that leads to heart attacks.”

4. Moderate red wine consumption reduces the risk of type 2 diabetes

Annals of Internal Medicine reports a two year controlled study showing evidence that moderate red wine consumption improves blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetics.

5. A glass of wine per day lowers risk of stroke by 21%

According to Live Science: “Women who drank low amounts of alcohol — about half of a glass of wine per day, on average — were 17 percent less likely to have a stroke compared with women who drank no alcohol. Women who drank about a glass a day were 21 percent less likely to have a stroke than abstainers.”

6. Moderate wine drinking cuts the risk of cataracts in half

Medscape Medical News claims, “When consumed in moderation, red wine may reduce the risk of developing cataracts.” In addition, studies show “that nondrinkers and heavy drinkers of any sort of alcohol had a substantially increased risk for cataract development, while moderate red wine drinkers had only half the risk.”

7. Piceatannol, a compound found in red wine, can help with weight loss

Dr. Axe reports: “Purdue University conducted a study that suggests red wine may help fight obesity. This is due to a compound found in grapes and other fruits, that has a similar chemical structure to resveratrol.” The compound that takes the credit is piceatannol, which blocks “an immature fat cell’s ability to develop and grow.”

8. 7-14 glasses of red wine per week keeps the brain sharper

According to the Memory Foundation, a “study of 7,485 Australians aged between 20 and 64 years of age… found: People who drank moderately (up to 7 drinks a week for females and up to 14 drinks a week for males) performed better than abstainers on all measures of cognitive abilities.”

9. Moderate alcohol consumption shows 32% reduced risk for developing Alzheimer’s

The Memory Foundation reports, “Low to moderate alcohol use is associated with a 38% reduced risk of dementia, and a 32% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.” What is the cause? According to the studies, the resveratrol in red wine helps maintain the hippocampus; support the interconnections of the neurons; keep blood vessels strong; and reduce LDL (the bad cholesterol).

10. Resveratrol in red wine boosts good cholesterol and lowers bad

Mayo Clinic reports: “Any links between red wine and fewer heart attacks aren’t completely understood. But part of the benefit might be that antioxidants may increase levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol) and protect against cholesterol buildup.” In addition,  “Resveratrol might be a key ingredient in red wine that helps prevent damage to blood vessels, reduces low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol) and prevents blood clots.”

11. Red wine fights against cancer, including breast cancer; colon cancer; prostate cancer; pancreatic cancer; lung cancer; and more

  • Colon Cancer: WebMD reports, “People who drink three or more glasses of red wine a week are less likely to get the abnormal colon growths that can lead to cancer, according to a new study.”
  • Breast Cancer: According to the LA Times, “a study has found that women who drank just under two servings of red wine daily experienced hormonal changes that mimic the effects of a drug used to prevent malignant breast tumors from coming back.”
  • Prostrate Cancer: Harvard Medical School reports, “Researchers have found that men who drink an average of four to seven glasses of red wine per week are only 52% as likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer as those who do not drink red wine.”
  • Pancreatic Cancer: The University of Rochester reports, “Rochester researchers showed for the first time that a natural antioxidant found in grape skins and red wine can help destroy pancreatic cancer cells by reaching to the cell’s core energy source, or mitochondria, and crippling its function.”
  • Lung Cancer: According to National Institute of Health the resveratrol in red wine can decrease the risk of cancer, “including cancer of upper digestive tract, lung, colon, basal cell carcinoma, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.”
  • Cancer in General: The National Institute of Health reports that the resveratrol in red wine can fight cancer. “Recent data give ample evidence that resveratrol can act as a chemopreventive agent as well. Tumor initation, promotion, and progression are affected by resveratrol via multiple pathways.” The NIH also claims that “resveratrol offers two major advantages over conventional chemotherapy” in fighting cancer.

12. 1-3 glasses of wine per day improves bone mineral density

The National Institute of Health reports that elderly “women who drank 11-29 g of alcohol per day (g/day) had higher bone mineral density values” compared to those who drank 10 g or fewer or who drank more than 30 g per day. Their conclusion: “Our data suggest that moderate drinking (e.g., 1-3 glasses of wine per day) is associated with an increase in trochanteric bone mineral density in elderly ambulatory women.”

13. Antioxidants in red wine can help fight cavities

Prevention reports, according to a study by the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, that red wine has the ability to kill off the bacteria that causes cavities. They claim substantivity “combined with the antioxidants present in grape seeds, makes red wine effective at killing bacteria on the teeth.”

14. Wine consumption can decrease mortality and increase in longevity

“A consensus is emerging that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced total mortality,” reports the National Institute of Health. Several studies are cited to substantiate their claim and further conclude, “Among older adults who are moderate drinkers, the apparent unique effects of wine on longevity may be explained by confounding factors correlated with wine consumption.”

15. Resveratrol found in red wine improves short term memory

Resveratrol, the anti-oxidant super compound found in red wine, has shown to increase short term memory according to studies. Live Science reports, “Those who received resveratrol supplements remembered more words on a list that they had seen 30 minutes previously than those who received the placebo.”

16. A component in red wine can reduce your risk of liver disease

While it is common knowledge that excess alcohol can damage the liver, The National Institute of Health reports that resveratrol, a component of red wine, can help heal the liver. They report, “Recent studies demonstrated that resveratrol has many therapeutic effects on liver disorders. Resveratrol significantly increased survival after liver transplantation, decreased fat deposition, necrosis, and apoptosis…It provided liver protection against chemical, cholestatic, and alcohol injury.”

17. Red wine intake can promote healthy eyes, lowering risk of AMD

Men’s Journal reports: “Studies have shown that red wine intake can lower risks of many common eye health issues, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and cataracts.” And once again, resveratrol takes the credit for the eye boosting power.

18. Moderate wine consumption can improve emotional well-being by protecting against depression

Medical News Today reports: “The findings of the study revealed that those who drank moderate amounts of alcohol (5 to 15 g a day) were less likely to suffer from depression. Additionally, those who drank a moderate amount of wine on a weekly basis (two to seven small glasses a week), were found to have an even lower risk of depression.”

These 18 (plus) benefits of wine demonstrate that wine is indeed a gift from God and not a curse. He gave wine not only for enjoyment, but also to benefit our health and well-being. But the benefits come only from moderation. When the command to “not be drunk with wine” is ignored — the benefits cease to exist. Instead there are devastating consequences. We will explore these in the next installment in this series.

We’ve already looked at warnings against excess alcohol in the Bible: Do Not Be Drunk With Wine: 30 Warnings in the Bible. Next we will examine warnings against excess alcohol from a scientific perspective.

Next: 13 Health Dangers of Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Return to: Biblical Health Study

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Reformed Health exists so you can take control of your own health and be all that God has designed you to be. The information shared on Reformed Health is the sole opinion of the author and is not meant to diagnose or treat any illness. None or our claims have been evaluated by the FDA or any other government organization. We are not medical doctors, nor do we have any medical doctors on staff. If you are having a health emergency, please call 911, contact your doctor, or visit a local emergency room. Always consult your doctor before engaging in any new exercise regime.

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Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.


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© 2017 Mischelle Sandowich
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