Blog Sample - 5 Lesser-Known Benefits of Wine

Wine giveth and taketh away. It surges through our veins at parties, allowing us to mix and mingle and regale the crowd with tales of youthful escapades. But it also drips down our best white t-shirt, leaving the front stained and soiled. One second, it gives us the courage to strut across the bar and ask our crush to dance. The next, we’re at home in front of our computer, determined to email our overbearing boss with reckless abandon before the hangover sets in. It makes us feel great…..until it makes us feel terrible.

Yep: It’s friend and foe, medicine and poison, ally and adversary.

This dichotomy is, perhaps, most obvious when it comes to health. Alcohol, in excess, is not good for us, a fact most everyone is aware of. Yet, in moderation, alcohol helps us rather than hurts us. And wine appears to be among our most potent protectors

Again, this isn't exactly breaking news. For years, we’ve heard that wine is good for our cardiovascular system (perhaps that’s why we heart it so). And this is certainly the area where the likes of Merlot and Cabernet have been allowed to shine. But there are unsung benefits of wine as well, some of which you might not realize.

These perks of the Pinot and benefits of the Barolo include:

Weight Loss: The whole “beer belly” thing aside, alcohol can help with severe weight problems as long as you stick to certain types. Dry wine, which contains fewer calories than its sweeter counterpart, has been shown to amplify weight loss when four ounces are consumed with dinner or before bed.

Better Lung Function: While our hearts might belong to red wine, it appears our lungs belong to white. In fact, white wine may even have higher antioxidant potential than its burgundy BFF. The high levels of flavonoids reduce inflammation in the airways, which helps us to - literally - breathe easier. And, if it spills on your white over-size sweatshirt, it’ll be easy to cover up.

Less Wear and Tear: Growing old is certainly better than the alternative, yet that doesn’t mean any of us want to sprint toward the finish line. Wine, it turns out, might offer us a taste of the fountain of youth. In what can only be described as “the best news ever,” research has found that both red wine and chocolate help cells rejuvenate, making them younger in the process.

Stronger Bones: Grabbing a glass of milk might help keep your bones strong, but so might grabbing a glass of wine. Drinking wine on occasion or moderately can reduce the risk of fractures and reduce the risk of bone loss as we age. This is likely because of the phenolic compounds wine contains.

More Good Hair Days: Wine can also leave our locks looking more gorgeous than usual. You can reap the benefits a couple of ways, either by drinking wine or rinsing your hair directly with a bottle of red. Not only does wine leave hair shiny and full, but it promotes circulation to the scalp, which can help avoid hair loss.

Wine, like many things, is a balancing act. Consuming too much tips the scales from helpful to hurtful. So, toast to moderation.