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What Are the Health Benefits of Drinking a Little Pinot Noir Wine Every Day?
You've heard, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Although eating a variety of fruits and vegetables is important in staying healthy, recent studies have shown that the benefits of red wine may lead you to also drink a glass of Pinot Noir a day to keep diseases away. Not more than four to six ounces of red wine a day may decrease heart disease, prevent cancer and strengthen the immune system. In all its grandeur as the red sovereign of Burgundy, Pinot Noir, with its aromas of blackberries and wood-like or earthen scents, should not be taken as an inferior wine to its more pigmented relatives in Bordeaux.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Characterisitics
A Pinot Noir, although less ruby or garnet than a red Bordeaux, possesses the essential facets of being one of the greatest wines to emerge from France and now produced in Oregon, California, Chile, New Zealand and Australia. It is rather full-bodied in terms of its alcohol content, with medium to high acidity and medium to low tannin content compared to its varietal relatives, Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. Additional tannin can be contributed by aging the wine in oak barrels. With these characteristics, a perfect pairing for a glass of Pinot Noir is with a delectable piece of salmon to give you the health promoting effects of both antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
- A Pinot Noir, although less ruby or garnet than a red Bordeaux, possesses the essential facets of being one of the greatest wines to emerge from France and now produced in Oregon, California, Chile, New Zealand and Australia.
- With these characteristics, a perfect pairing for a glass of Pinot Noir is with a delectable piece of salmon to give you the health promoting effects of both antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids.
Features and Benefits
List of Heart-Healthy Wines
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Polyphenolic compounds such as flavanoids and polyphenols, concentrated in the red skins of Pinot Noir and other dark grape varietals, are antioxidants that bind free radicals in the body to decrease the generation of oxidized lipids. Tannins, anthocyanins and procyanidins can raise HDL, the "good" cholesterol, and lower LDL, the "bad" cholesterol. Resveratrol lowers the risk of coronary heart disease by decreasing the chances of blood clots, helping blood vessels remain unclogged and flexible, according to the Linus Pauling Institute 1. Study results published by the Yale-New Haven Hospital show that resveratrol inhibits the enzymes that stimulate cancer-cell growth and also may treat neurological diseases, as it aids in the formation of nerve cells.
- Polyphenolic compounds such as flavanoids and polyphenols, concentrated in the red skins of Pinot Noir and other dark grape varietals, are antioxidants that bind free radicals in the body to decrease the generation of oxidized lipids.
This Calls for a Toast
When the black skin is shed from Pinot Noir, this grape is prized in the production of Champagne and provides body, structure and longevity to a blend of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay. In 1961, when Lily Bollinger ran the famous Bollinger Champagne house, a London reporter asked when she would drink the sparkling wine. She replied, "I only drink Champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad. Sometimes I drink it when I'm alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it -- unless I'm thirsty." After a lifetime of good health and merriment, Madame Bollinger died at the age of 78.
- When the black skin is shed from Pinot Noir, this grape is prized in the production of Champagne and provides body, structure and longevity to a blend of Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay.
- She replied, "I only drink Champagne when I'm happy, and when I'm sad.
Drink In Moderation or Nothing At All
Calories in Yellow Tail Wine
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A glass of Pinot Noir provides about 640 micrograms of resveratrol. The amount used in animals to prevent cancer exceeds 500 milligrams per human adult, which equates, proportionally to 2 1/2 bottles of wine. A drink is defined as four ounces of wine. If you already drink red wine, do so in moderation. Moderate drinking is defined as an average of one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. The limit is higher for men because, in general, men weigh more and have more of the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol than women do.
- A glass of Pinot Noir provides about 640 micrograms of resveratrol.
- The limit is higher for men because, in general, men weigh more and have more of the enzyme that metabolizes alcohol than women do.
Warning
Neither the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute nor the American Heart Association recommends that you start drinking alcohol just for disease prevention. Alcohol consumption can lead to addiction, liver damage and birth defects. Too much increases risks of high blood pressure, high triglycerides, obesity and certain cancers. Avoid or limit alcohol if you have a weak heart or if you take an aspirin a day. Wine contains sulfites for preservation; if you are allergic to sulfur, choose an alternative beverage. As with starting any regimen, always consult your doctor first.
- Neither the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute nor the American Heart Association recommends that you start drinking alcohol just for disease prevention.
- Wine contains sulfites for preservation; if you are allergic to sulfur, choose an alternative beverage.
Related Articles
References
- Linus Pauling Institute: Resveratrol
- MedlinePlus: Wine and Heart Health
- Nature: Red Wine Procyanidins and Vascular Health
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Phenolic Composition of Champagnes from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir Vintages
- Circulation: Red Wine Polyphenols Enhance Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Expression and Subsequent Nitric Oxide Release From Endothelial Cell
- Amor S, Châlons P, Aires V, Delmas D. Polyphenol extracts from red wine and grapevine: potential effects on cancers. Diseases. 2018;6(4):106. doi:10.3390/diseases6040106
- Smoliga JM, Baur JA, Hausenblas HA. Resveratrol and health--a comprehensive review of human clinical trials. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2011;55(8):1129-41. doi:10.1002/mnfr.201100143
- Cancer Research UK. Does alcohol cause cancer?. Updated December 28, 2018.
- Carter LG, D'Orazio JA, Pearson KJ. Resveratrol and cancer: focus on in vivo evidence. Endocr Relat Cancer. 2014;21(3):R209–R225. doi:10.1530/ERC-13-0171
Resources
- Wine For Dummies, 4th Ed.; E. McCarthy, M. Ewing-Mulligan
- Bradenton: The health benefits of wine
- Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry: Effect of Shading on Accumulation of Flavonoid Compounds in (Vitis vinifera L.) Pinot Noir Fruit and Extraction in a Model System
Writer Bio
Renee Chan began her career as a freelance writer in 2010, contributing to various websites as a practicing Registered Dietitian in New York City. Originally from Vancouver, Canada, Chan completed her Master of Science in nutrition and dietetics at New York University after finishing a Bachelor of Science in biology and visual arts at the University of California, San Diego.