To Life! is a common toast, and recent medical advances have confirmed what wine drinkers have known for years–moderate wine consumption is good for people. From positive effects on the heart and cardiovascular system to increased resistance to certain forms of cancer and reduced risk of osteoporosis, the wine has a number of benefits.
For decades, the medical literature has reported the salubrious nature of wine, but despite this solid evidence of wine’s positive effects, many doctors remain reluctant to even discuss the topic with their patients. Some of this reluctance is cultural – telling a teetotaling Baptist they need to start drinking is never a good idea – but most is due to concerns about over-indulgence. While it’s certainly true that drunk driving and liver failure are causes of mortality directly linked to heavy and/or intemperate drinking, the moderate levels of alcohol consumption that give positive benefits, when combined with common sense, can indeed prolong your life.
Keep in mind that “moderate” wine consumption is generally considered to be 1–2 glasses per day, with men (with their generally higher body mass) being able to drink slightly more than women before the negatives begin to outweigh the positives.
Frustratingly, the creation of a pill that duplicates the positive effects of wine without the negatives remains an elusive goal. Resveratrol has been touted as the most likely beneficial ingredient in red wines (reds, it is generally agreed, are better for you than whites; sorry, white wine lovers), but the body breaks down resveratrol so quickly that getting a sufficient amount into the body is problematic. A recent study suggested that resveratrol might slow the progression of Alzheimer’s Disease, but the dose used–1 gram by mouth twice a day–was equivalent to almost 1000 bottles of red wine. In 2010, GlaxoSmithKline shelved a potential resveratrol-based drug due to concerns over kidney dysfunction. These difficulties notwithstanding, research is ongoing; several companies are pursuing compounds that will give the same benefits of wine, without the complications.
Until medical science makes the ‘wine pill’ breakthrough, it’s reasonable to keep lifting a glass and toasting “To Life!” – so long as you don’t lift more than one or two glasses. Of course, if you want to build or expand your health food (wine) production facilities, there’s no breakthrough needed. Sierra View General Contractors has already proven to be the efficient, cost-effective, customer-satisfying choice of the wine industry. You can learn more about Sierra View’s winery (and other hospitality, retail, medical, private and commercial) experience by visiting them on the web at www.SierraView.com.