Are There Health Benefits to Drinking Red Wine? Pros and Cons, Nutrition Information, and More

Taking steps to avoid the overconsumption of alcoholic, caffeinated, and sugary beverages may help a person avoid dehydration. Water, electrolyte sports drinks, and certain herbal teas are better options to remain hydrated. Five common symptoms of dehydration include tiredness, dry skin and lips, thirst, dark pee, and not peeing as often. But one thing is certain — heavy drinking does damage your cells and can increase your chances for cancer. But researchers are still trying to confirm whether the resveratrol in red wine actually reduces cancer risk.

This higher alcohol level in wine means it’s more likely to dehydrate you per glass. In a few studies of people with slightly elevated blood pressure, red wine extract lowered readings. The studies concluded that the polyphenols in red wine were responsible. Additionally, overconsumption of alcohol may lead to insulin resistance and blood sugar control problems, which may be a precursor to weight gain and type 2 diabetes (16).

Red wine and resveratrol: Good for your heart?

Flavanols are benzopyrans that include simple monomeric and polymeric forms which are contained in noteworthy concentrations in red wine. The most important flavanols in grape are catechin and its enantiomer epicatechin, biosynthetic precursors of proanthocyanidins, which are responsible for the structure and astringency of wine [56]. The catechin and epicatechin levels in red wine were reported to range from −50 to 120 mg/L [32,68,69]. Moreover, catechin levels to 1000 mg/L were recorded especially in selected old red wines [49].

Measure out 5 ounces (which equals one serving) in the glass you typically use. Five ounces appears smaller in a large goblet than in a standard wine glass. Age-related changes, including a diminished ability to metabolize alcohol, make higher amounts risky regardless of gender. They found that the red wine drinkers had significantly increased their levels of good HDL cholesterol and had a more beneficial cholesterol ratio compared to the group that drank water. They were also the only group to experience a significant drop in components of metabolic syndrome. People who drank either red or white wine also reported better sleep quality than the group that drank water, and the researchers found no significant adverse effects with any group.

Energy drinks

Of course, the more you urinate, the faster you’ll become dehydrated if you keep following up with more glasses of wine. Generally, if you have already eaten a meal or if you are drinking a glass of wine with your meal, you won’t experience many of the effects of dehydration, if any. However, if you have an empty stomach, a single glass of wine will cause mild dehydration if you don’t follow it up with a glass of water within the hour. Too much can be destructive to your health, raising your blood pressure and your risk of developing several kinds of cancer. Too little may hold you back from some of the benefits that moderate drinkers enjoy, like lower incidence of cardiovascular disease, mortality and type-2 diabetes.

“It makes your system more able to sop up the sugar and the calories that you’re consuming in the meal if you have a little alcohol before,” he says. O’Keefe wasn’t surprised that the best results came from the group drinking red wine—which had resveratrol levels 13-fold higher than does red wine dehydrate you the white wine, according to the study. “Partly it’s the benefits of the alcohol, but red wine also contains a lot of unique antioxidants that are hard to get other places,” O’Keefe says. They found that a high alcohol intake (≥15 g/day) attenuated the effect of GL on T2D incidence.

Benefits of red wine

Staying hydrated is as important to your health as eating, exercising, and sleeping well. It’s especially important at times when you’re more likely to lose fluids or when you need more fluid than usual, such as during an illness, pregnancy, or exercise. Dehydration is quite common and can be caused by factors like illness, medication use, extreme exercise, or simply insufficient fluid intake.

However, despite the possible health benefits, drinking excess alcohol can do more harm than good. However, a 2018 review noted that this is likely due to confounding factors, such as diet. For instance, red wine is a common addition to the Mediterranean diet, an eating pattern linked to good health and long life.