Wine related articles
White Wine is Healthier Than Soft Drinks
Staff Writer - July
31, 2005
According to
Professor Giuseppe Rotilio, head of the nutrition science department at
the Tor Vergata University in Rome, a glass of cool, crisp, white wine
is far better than any carbonated drink during the hot summer months,
one just needs to be careful not to drink too much. The benefits of
drinking white wine were the core theme of a symposium organized
recently in Rome by UNAMSI, or the National Medical and Scientific
Information Union.
"White wine," explained professor Rotilio, "contains about 10% alcohol and its effects, when consumed in large quantities, can be harmful." He said that the he recommended one glass of wine per person, best if drunk with a meal or just before eating.
Professor Rotilio added that wine, either white or red, is healthful because it contains "polyphenols, which protect arteries from aging. Italian white wine contains twice as many of these antitoxins as wine from other countries," affirmed Prof. Rotilio. The proof of the healthful effects of wine can be found in the fact that Italy and neighboring France, known for the habit of drinking wine regularly, the number of fatal heart attacks is four to five times lower than in the United States or Finland, where wine is not widely consumed on a daily basis.
On the other hand, the professor explained, carbonated drinks contain excessive amounts of sugar which is the cause of, or aggravates the condition of obesity and diabetes.
Again, the main problem is quantity. Though one glass of soda per day is not harmful, he added that soda drinkers very rarely drink just one glass.
Mineral water is the only good alternative to a nice glass of wine, concluded Prof. Rotilio, even water with high sodium content, since the body needs extra salt during the summer months. Though Prof. Rotilio recommends but one glass of white wine per day, other researchers believe that two to three glasses have a general healthful effect on both mind and body.
Other studies presented at the forum showed that white wine not fermented 'in the skin' contains tyrosine, a molecule which acts in a similar way to resveratrol, the beneficial antitoxin found in red wine. Both tyrosine and resveratrol help increase the levels of HDL, also known as 'good' cholesterol, and contribute to lowering the levels of LDL, or 'bad' cholesterol.
These substances are thus helpful in preventing Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, as well as cholesterol-related cardiovascular illnesses.
According to a June 2002 study, released by the University of Buffalo, School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, white wine appears to be good for the lungs as well. In fact, the study showed that people who drink white wine regularly have healthier lungs than those of non-drinkers, as well as of beer drinkers, spirit and even red wine drinkers.
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