Red Wine, Healthy Heart

By now, you may know that many of the cardiovascular benefits of red wine have been attributed to a natural compound called resveratrol. Resveratrol is a plant chemical─or polyphenol─found in red grape skin and seeds, among other foods. Red wine contains higher amounts of this compound than white wine because the process of winemaking extracts the polyphenols from the grape seeds and skins. The cardio-protective effects of wine have been attributed to both the alcohol itself, and the natural compounds it contains. Wine features a wide range of antioxidants, including resveratrol, catechins, epicatechins, and a class of flavonoids called proanthocyanidins.

Evidence continues to mount when it comes to resveratrol and heart health. For example, resveratrol-rich red wine has been shown to reduce damage to the heart while minimizing LDL (“bad”) cholesterol) and preventing dangerous blood clotting.1 Researchers have referred to resveratrol as “therapeutic promise for cardiovascular diseases.” At a very low concentration, this natural compound inhibits cell death, thereby protecting the heart from atherosclerosis, life threatening abnormal heartbeats called ventricular arrhythmias, and heart injury associated with poor blood flow. In fact, some scientists feel that resveratrol is literally preventive medicine.2

How else might resveratrol from red wine promote heart health? It appears that resveratrol protects against dangerous blood clots while also acting as a vasodilator, meaning it helps to widen blood vessels for healthy blood flow. All these effects seem to interfere with the development of artery-clogging plaque and blood clots.3 Resveratrol also helps to limit the dangerous effects of cardiac fibrosis─a hardening of the heart tissue that forces it to work harder to pump blood, causing further damage to the muscles that surround it.4

When a meta-analysis was performed on 19 wine/health studies, the conclusion was that 1.5 glasses of wine per day were highly beneficial in preventing cardiovascular events. Although some cardio protective effects were due to the alcohol itself─including boosting HDL (“good”) cholesterol─other heart-protective effects were clearly attributed to the specific actions of rseveratrol described here.5

And this is but a mere glimpse into the many studies detailing the heart-healthy benefits of resveratrol from red wine. Given the fact that cardiovascular disease remains the #1 killer for Americans, this information seems not only vitally important, but well worth a hearty toast─within the context of an overall healthy lifestyle, of course. Cheers!


1Int J Mol Med. 2001 Jul;8(1):3-17
2Recent Pat Cardiovasc Drug Discov. 2007 Jun;2(2):133-8
3Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 2006 Dec;99(12):1230-5
4 Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2005 Mar;288(3):H1131-8. Epub 2004 Oct 21
5 Ital Heart J. 2001 Jan;2(1):1-8.