Here’s What Happens When You Drink Wine Every Day

Wine drinkers: get ready to rejoice. [Photo: Rex]

Despite health experts of the past repeatedly stressing how bad alcohol is for us, it seems like red wine is actually beneficial for our health. But the amount has to be just right.

Too much can increase the risk of cancer and too little may mean you don’t cash in on the benefits that some moderate drinkers enjoy. The amount that’s just right is one glass of wine each night with dinner – but it has to be red.

According to a new Annals of Internal Medicine study, a nightly glass of red to accompany your food could very well keep the doctor away by boosting levels of beneficial cholesterol and helping you sleep better – in case you hadn’t already figured out that was the case.

Researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel analysed how safe and effective a glass of red vino is for people with type-2 diabetes to drink temperately. Those with this particular condition are more likely than the rest of us to develop cardiovascular disease and have lower levels of heart-protective HDL cholesterol, the study’s authors note.

The researchers analysed 224 fitting the profile, who didn’t already drink wine, then tasked them with drinking one of three things – either five ounces of mineral water, dry white wine or dry red wine – for two years. Throughout the time, they were monitored so the scientists could look at the biomarkers of glycemic control, lipids and liver function.

The results were pretty astounding. The red wine drinkers were found to have increased their levels of good HDL cholesterol and had a better beneficial cholesterol ratio compared to those that drank water. Plus, they slept better than the other groups.

Although the group studied all had type-2 diabetes, it’s likely that the positive effects of red wine would be beneficial to us all. It’s known to burn fat and reduce blood pressure and some experts say it has anti-ageing effects, too.

Clearly the reason why drinking a glass of the stuff a day is such a hit in the Mediterranean.