Red wine is a type of wine made from dark-coloured (black) grape varieties. The actual colour of the wine can range from intense violet, typical of young wines, through to brick red for mature wines and brown for older red wines.
The juice from most purple grapes is greenish-white; the red colour comes from anthocyan pigments (also called anthocyanins) present in the skin of the grape; exceptions are the relatively uncommon teinturier varieties, which produce a red colored juice. Much of the red-wine production process therefore involves extraction of colour and flavour components from the grape skin.
Red wine is really not an alcoholic beverage like any other and its moderate consumption may help prevent some cancers.
According to a recent study, low levels of resveratrol found in a single glass of red wine exert anticancer activity much more powerful than higher doses, obtained through supplements. To enjoy the positive effects of red wine on health, we must remember that little is better, and that remains the most important to drink very moderately.
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 heart disease by increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol) and protecting against artery damage.
While the news about red wine might sound great if you enjoy a glass of red wine with your evening meal, doctors are wary of encouraging anyone to start drinking alcohol. That's because too much alcohol can have many harmful effects on your body.
Still, many doctors agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart. It's possible that antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have heart-healthy benefits.
The greatest danger associated with drinking alcohol, even when moderate, is the significant increase in the risk of developing several types of cancer (mouth, larynx, esophagus, colon, liver and breast). However, several studies indicate that the risk is not observed for all forms of alcohol and consumers of red wine are much less affected by cancer. For example, while only one daily consumption of any alcoholic beverage increases by 38% the risk of oral cancer and 31% risk of liver cancer, these increases almost completely disappear when this consumption is in the form red wine
Not only red wine is less carcinogenic, but it could even play a role in preventing certain types of cancer, eg, moderate consumption of red wine is associated with a significantly reduced risk of lung cancer, while the the risk of cancer increases among drinkers of beer and spirits. A reduced risk of certain cancers (colon, pancreas, esophagus) was also observed among consumers of red wine, when these cancers are conversely increased in people who consume other types of alcoholic beverages. In other words, red wine is really not an alcoholic beverage like any other and its moderate consumption may help prevent certain cancers.
Resveratrol: the secret weapon of red wine
Red wine is also different from other drinks by its high content of resveratrol, a hormone made by the vine to protect against external aggressions (mold, for example). Located in grape skins, this molecule is present in abundance in red wine because the skin is preserved for fermentation, which is not the case of white wine. That resveratrol has potent anticancer activity and many studies have shown that this molecule can inhibit the development of several types of cancer, particularly colon cancer.
One unanswered question was about the quantities needed for this anti-cancer action of resveratrol. Are the doses affected by the moderate consumption of red wine are sufficient or should we use supplements to achieve higher doses? To solve this dilemma effective doses, British scientists compared the anticancer effect of two doses of Resveratrol: a very low dose, comparable to that found in a single glass of red wine, and another 200 times high which could only be achieved by taking supplements. At first glance, one might think that this is the highest dose that would result in the greatest benefits, but this is not what was observed: the lowest amount of resveratrol provokes a double major reduction the development of colorectal tumors and is twice as effective at blocking their progress. A similar phenomenon has been observed in patients with colorectal cancer: the administration of low doses of resveratrol is associated with a greater penetration of the molecule in cancer cells and to a stronger inhibition of the processes involved in the growth tumor that higher doses .
Little is better
Contrary to intuition might suggest, several studies have clearly shown that the philosophy of "the more, the better it is" simply does not work for absorption and blood and tissue bioavailability, it or with molecules foodborne or with drugs for which the therapeutic dose is generally very specific. For example, although it is known that substances like beta-carotene, vitamin E, selenium and various antioxidants are associated with a decreased risk of cancer, all of the studies that have examined the effect of high levels of these molecules as supplements were negative and even associated with a higher mortality risk.
The red wine is therefore no exception to this rule: drink very moderately is not only absolutely essential to avoid the harmful effects of alcohol, but also to enjoy its anticancer potential, associated with the presence of resveratrol.