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The Effects of White Wine & Human Aging

A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away, or so the saying should go. The health benefits of wine, as well as its positive effects on the human aging process, has received a lot of good publicity in recent years. While white wine is commonly misconceived as being less benefitial than red, it contains just as many longevity-promoting properties as red wine. All wines contain components that can increase your life span, if you consume them moderately and on a regular basis, by improving overall health and decreasing the risks of many diseases.

  1. Cardiovascular Diseases and Stoke

    • White wine protects your heart health in many ways. First and foremost, it is a natural anti-coagulant and therefore thins your blood and prevents over-clotting. It also decreases the bad-for-you LDL cholesterol, which can cause artery blockage. It increases the good-for-you HDL cholesterol which, in turn, gets rid of even more bad LDL cholesterol. Both of these factors reduce your chances of having a blood clot-related stroke by 50 percent, and the chances of you having a heart attack by 30 percent.

    Cancer

    • Wine helps fight cancer due to its high concentration of antioxidants. Antioxidants prevent cholesterol from damaging your arteries and also cleans the body of blood's waste, which can cause cancer. The types of antioxidants found in grapes that make wine are five times stronger than regular antioxidants. The wine-making process increases the power of these antioxidants, and alcohol consumption in general helps your body absorb them. While white wine contains smaller amounts of antioxidants than red wine, the amount depends on the specific wine and how it was made and stored.

    Lung Function

    • White wine is more effective than red in improving lung health.

      While white wine may not have as many strong characteristics that help prevent degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, it does beat out red wine when it comes to improving lung function. Antioxidants are, again, to thank for improved lung health among white wine drinkers. Although it is not yet understood why, antioxidants in white wine, even at lower levels than red, react differently in the body and have a profound effect on health.

    Other Benefits

    • Drinking wine daily can slow down the aging process in many other ways. Wine decreases the risks of developing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases and slows down the decline of brain function that naturally happens as you age. Wine drinkers are less likely to develop cataracts and Type II diabetes. Wine is said to decrease stress, make bones stronger and aid digestion, which can help people with ulcers.

    Red versus White

    • Billy Joel had it right when he sang "A bottle of red, a bottle of white, whatever kind of mood you're in tonight." While the benefits of red wine differ slightly than those of white, they are equally beneficial to your health and aging. The properties of a wine depend largely on how it is made, the kind of grape used, and how it is bottled and stored. Some white wine makers are even modifying their products to amplify the health benefits. So the only rule in wine-drinking is moderation.

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