By Dr. Joseph Mercola
     with Rachael Droege

Here is one research finding that most people want to hear:drinking a moderate amount of red wine each day appears to be beneficial for heart disease and may extend lifespan.

Much of the benefit appears to be due to an antioxidant, resveratrol, found in grape skins and red wine. Resveratrol belongs to a family of compounds known as polyphenols, which are known to combat damaging free radicals in the body.

It appears that resveratrol lowers "bad" LDL cholesterol while raising "good" HDL cholesterol and decreases the production of a protein that plays a major role in the development of heart disease.

Resveratrol was also found to extend the lifespan of yeast cells by up to 80 percent, and researchers are hoping to prove that the molecules will have similar effects on worms, fruit flies and even humans.

But before you go out and stock your pantry with red wine there are some precautions that need to be taken. While drinking about one glass of red wine each day may yield some benefit, drinking two or more glasses (of wine or any alcoholic beverage) may offset the benefit and increase your risk of certain cancers.And people with a history of alcohol abuse or liver disease should not drink alcohol at all. Also, people with diabetes and hypertension should limit their intake of alcohol.

You also need to be aware that consuming large amounts of wine or grapes, which have a lower concentration of antioxidants than wine, will increase insulin levels and eventually have a negative impact on your health. It may be beneficial to consume whole grape skins and pass up the meat of the grape,which has no resveratrol but a lot of extra fructose.

If you are going to drink, however, it does make sense to choose red wine over other alcoholic beverages, and use a wine saver to ensure the wine doesn’t oxidize and go rancid. The Vacu Vin Wine Saver is an exceptional choice as it allows you to pump out the air inside the bottle prior to sealing, and it is very durable. But, again, be careful to not overdo it.

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