Alcohol has always been considered more of a drug or an addiction. The devil’s juice has long been seen as a symbol of status and luxury. It has earned itself a bad name by being found responsible for shrinking brain, behavior changes, blackouts, hallucinations, slurred speech, cancer, heart damage, lung infections, liver damage, fatigue and what not. But, little known is the fact that alcohol has a plethora of benefits too! Every coin has two sides. If the ill-effects of alcohol are countless, so are the benefits! When consumed in moderate amounts, alcohol can work wonders for your health and general well-being.
Here we bring you top 8 exclusive health benefits of drinking wine for wine lovers worldwide:
- Weight-loss – Attention ladies! Yes, you have read it right. The first and foremost benefit of drinking wine is shedding those extra kilos. White wine is said to have fewer carbohydrates than red wine. Red wine, on the other hand, is rich in antioxidants. This results in a delay of the growth of fat cells ultimately leading to weight loss. Moreover, it is also said to prevent stomach aches and curb the appetite, thus helping you in losing weight and preventing you from overeating. But, the trick works only if you consume it in moderate amounts as alcohol temporarily stops lipid oxidation. So, if you are an addict, then alcohol can’t make you lose weight. Rather you will gain from it! Further, no doubts in the fact that wine cannot replace healthy food, diet, and gym, but it sure can make the task of getting that dream waistline easy!
2. Stress-buster – Since ages people have been using alcohol as a stress-buster. ‘Alcohol is a stress buster’ – This is true as studies have shown that it settles the nerves and calms the brain down by slowing down the metabolism. It is a sedative which controls the central nervous system. So next time, when you come home all stressed from a hectic day in office, raise a toast to your tiredness and beat that stress!
3. Diabetes – This one, by far, is the most important health benefit for sure! Wine keeps the sugar level of the body under check. Whiskey contains ellagic acid which controls the levels of glucose being released from the liver. By slowing the process down, it keeps the sugar level of the body under check. Moreover, alcohol itself doesn’t contain any sugar. However, since alcohol impacts the liver, so the patient needs to be extra-cautious while using it as a medicine.
4. Cancer protection – This is rather under debate. Consumption of alcohol in large quantities is said to be a major cause of cancer but consuming it in moderate amounts can work wonders. Alcohol is rich in antioxidants like ellagic acid which helps your body cells from coming in contact with carcinogens and other toxins that can cause mutation. Moreover, if you are on chemotherapy, consuming it in small amounts can help you protect your body from effects of chemotherapy.
5. Improves digestion – Excess consumption of anything can be fatal. This is the key while consuming alcohol and debating on the health benefits it provides. Excessive consumption of alcohol can lead to irreparable damage of digestive system but consuming it in small amounts can improve the digestion. In addition to this, studies have shown that people who consume alcohol occasionally are less likely to develop gallstones.
6. Improves memory – Students- you are not recommended this but a serving of wine before mugging something can actually help you retain it for the longest time. Alcohol is said to improve memory. Drinking wine improves blood flow to the brain which helps in its proper functioning and retains stuff for the longest time.
7. Reduces the risk of stroke – Alcohol decreases bad cholesterol and prevents the formation of blood clots. These two are the major reasons behind the stroke. Relaxing the walls of the arteries, whiskey also lowers the blood pressure. Hence, people who occasionally have a sip of wine are less likely to fall prey to a stroke.
8. Long life – Last but not the least, whiskey increases your life expectancy! Studies have shown that wine can actually reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. I know, you are having a hard time believing this. I know, you have been told whole your life that alcohol kills. But, it actually is true! Consuming it in moderate amounts, in proper dosage and can actually work wonders for you. Even some medicines are said to have the same ingredients as whiskey. Whiskey contains healthy antioxidants and other nutrients which help you improve your immune system. So, yes, believe it or not, but alcohol can increase your life expectancy!
These were just some of the benefits of whiskey! But, yeah, once again, they will help only if it is consumed in proper dosage and not like wine-addicts!
Author Bio:
Hazel is a certified whiskey and wine geek and is associated with Findrarewhisky.com. She inherited the passion for whiskey and wine from her family.She loves blogging, writing, reading, learning, and teaching, about whiskey and wine. She has been in the whiskey world for about 3 years and tries to share her knowledge about wine and whiskey in a way to encourage and inspire new drinkers.
