Non-Alcoholic Red Wine Reduces Risk of Heart Disease in Men

Even as speculation persists whether drinking alcoholic red wine may be beneficial for your heart health, a new study published in the journal Circulation Research reveals that non-alcoholic red wine is more effective in reducing the risk of heart attack and high blood pressure in men.

The study was conducted by researchers at University of Barcelona who recruited 67 men who exhibited at least three or more risk factors associated with heart disease, including diabetes. The researchers made the men drink gin, red wine and non alcohol red wine and found that while drinking red wine did reduce the blood pressure by a small margin, non alcoholic red wine lowered the blood pressure to such a level that it reduced the risk of heart disease by 14 percent and stroke by 20 percent. There was no change in the blood pressure levels when the men drank gin.

The researchers suggested that one of the reasons why non alcoholic red wine was better than alcoholic red wine was due to the fact that alcohol in red wine could reduce the effectiveness of powerful antioxidants called polyphenols, which are the reason for the health benefits associated with red wine.

"The non-alcoholic part of the wine, namely polyphenols, exerts a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. Polyphenols also have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties that may be useful to prevent other disease such as diabetes", lead researcher Ramon Estruch said.



Source: Medindia