by miltiades » Mon Nov 26, 2007 9:41 am
Wine facts !!!!
It has been said that wine is mankind's most ancient medicine.
Cheers to that indeed!
There are a few passions in life that are both enjoyable and beneficial to health at the same time. It is perhaps why wine drinking is becoming such a fad in even the non-traditional Asia region.
While there were initial claims that the benefits of wine were folklore created by wine makers to propogate wine drinking, increasing research by many reputable research centers have concluded that it is indeed no folklore. In fact, they discovered many other benefits of wine as well! Here are some of them:
Heart Disease
Wine is a vasodilator that helps reduce the risk of cardiac diseases including angina and stroke. It helps in two ways. Red wines have HDL (a good cholesterol) that drives the bad cholesterol from the arteries. Red wine also contains an antifungal compound called Resveratrol that can lower serum cholesterol.
Digestion
Wine stimulates flow of gastric juices to enhance the digestive processes. It has also shown that wines kill cholera bacteria and can combat typhoid.
Vitamins and Minerals
Wine contains utilizable minerals of potassium, sodium, magnesium, calcium, iron, phosphorus, Vitamin B and P.
Viruses
Red wines have polyphenols that are effective against some viruses.
Aging
Elderly people who drink moderate amounts are less prone to disability due to mental illness. Some attribute it to the mineral boron which helps older women to maintain their oestrogen which in turn enables them to absorb calcium.
Cancer
Red wine contains a strong anti-cancer agent known as quercetin which becomes active in the body when the grape juice ferments or the body digests food. Wine also contains gallic acid, an acknowledged anti-carcinogenic.
Stress
Wine is a mild tranquilizer that can help reduce stress, which in turn can help prevent certain forms of cancer.
Kidney
Wine can enhance the alkaline reserves, effectively combating kidney acidosis.
Migraine
Red wine inhibits an enzyme called PST-P which detoxifies all sorts of bacteria in the stomach. The absence of PST-P is linked to migraine.
And here are some famous quotes on wine :
"Nectar of the Gods"
"Wine is the most civilized thing in the world."
Ernest Hemingway
"A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover." >>> See what I mean about SEX !!
Clifton Fadiman
Galileo said
“Wine is light held together by water”.