National Wine Day 2022: 10 Surprising Wine Health Benefits You Should Know

This Wednesday, the country is observing National Wine Day, a special holiday that provides wine enthusiasts the opportunity to "unite and celebrate our favorite fermented fruit juice."

"Wine is not the type of beverage you drink quickly. You sip it, savor it, linger with it. Taking your time to enjoy a glass of wine allows you to enjoy other things with it - people, scenery, food," National Today said.

Aside from the joys its consumption provides, wine can also be celebrated for the various potential positive effects it can have on the body.

Here are 10 possible health benefits that wine can provide to its drinkers.

1. Wine may help against cancer

The moderate consumption of red wine has been linked to the reduction of the risk of lung, prostate and breast cancer, Medical News Today reported, citing various studies.

Resveratrol, a plant compound found in the skins of grapes and in red wine, was shown to have had positive effects against lung and prostate cancer.

Meanwhile, studies have also found that aromatase inhibitors in red wine can reduce estrogen levels in the body, a chemical that encourages the growth of cancer cells.

2. Wine may help combat vision loss

Resveratrol present in red wine may also help prevent vision loss by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress, according to a 2016 study.

These two play a role in the initiation and progression of age-related ocular diseases such as glaucoma, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

3. Wine may help against depression

People who drink between low to moderate amounts of wine every week reported lower levels of depression, a multi-year study published in 2013 with more than 5,500 participants found.

In contrast, researchers reported that heavy drinkers were more at risk for depression.

4. Wine may promote longevity

The life expectancy of men aged between 45 and 64 who had about five drinks of alcohol such as wine per day was longer compared to occasional and heavy drinkers, according to a 2000 study.

This outcome was determined to have been caused by wine's high antioxidant content.

5. Wine may promote healthy gut bacteria

Red wine may promote the growth of beneficial gut bacteria, recent studies have found.

Such growth may improve metabolic syndrome markers in people with obesity, which could help in managing metabolic diseases associated with obesity.

6. Wine may help against dementia

People who abstained from drinking wine were found to have an increased risk of developing dementia, according to a 2018 report.

The neuroprotective effects of polyphenols and other compounds in wine that can reduce inflammation and alter the lipid profile of the body may be the cause of the findings.

7. Wine may help with blood pressure

Aside from aiding against cancer and vision loss, the resveratrol present in red wine may reduce blood pressure while increasing levels of good cholesterol.

Too much alcohol consumption, however, may have an opposite effect and end up causing high blood pressure and arrhythmia, or an irregular heart rhythm.

8. Wine may help against type 2 diabetes

Drinking a glass of red wine with dinner "moderately decreases cardiometabolic risk" in people with type 2 diabetes, a study from 2015 found.

The ethanol present in wine plays a crucial role in metabolizing glucose, scientists believe.

9. Wine may help combat inflammation

Wine is among the many types of foods that have anti-inflammatory properties.

Moderate consumption of the alcoholic beverage was linked to reduced inflammatory response in one study, according to Healthline.

Another study found that women who consumed a glass of wine daily had significantly reduced inflammatory markers compared to women who abstained from alcohol.

10. Wine may benefit heart health

People who consumed moderate amounts of wine have reduced rates of heart disease, studies have shown.

Red wine’s high concentration of polyphenol antioxidants can help reduce the risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and metabolic diseases, researchers believe.

However, excessive alcohol consumption may result in increased blood pressure and a higher risk of developing heart disease.