Red wine boosts good cholesterol - study

guido · Site Admin Joined: Oct 18, 2004 Posts: 381 Location: Italy

Red wine boosts good cholesterol - study
February 4, 2005

A glass of red wine a day increases good cholesterol and lowers levels of a blood-clotting chemical.

Research at the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark, shows that a daily glass of red wine for four weeks increases HDL or good cholesterol by up to 16%, and reduces the amount of the clotting compound fibrinogen by up to 15%.

And the research shows that it's the alcohol in the wine that provides the beneficial effects. No similar effects were found among people taking the same amount of red grape extract.

Although red wine has been linked to health benefits, it's not been known how the effects are achieved. Antioxidants and other non-alcoholic compounds have been suggested, but the new research points to alcohol.

"Moderate red wine consumption for four weeks is associated with desirable changes in HDL and fibrinogen compared with drinking water with or without red grape extract.

"The impact of wine on the cardiovascular risk factors thus seems primarily explained by an alcoholic effect," say the researchers.

Other research has shown that while red wine may be protective, other forms of alcohol are not.
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In vino veritas!