How drinking wine could have health benefits

Whether you prefer to drink red wine, or white wine, both styles offer health benefits, a new study showed.

Researchers from Iowa State University also found that drinking either red or white wine is a better health option than consuming beer or spirits.

The team discovered that drinking beer or spirits leads to higher levels of visceral fat - the more harmful variety of fat which increases the risk of developing heart disease and other health complications.

The study of nearly 1,900 white adults (why the racial choice?) ranging from 40 to 80 years-old found that drinking wine did not lead to the same harmful build-up of visceral fat. 

Drinking red wine, in fact, contributed to adults having less visceral fat than their peers.

The study authors found that white wine appears to provide an additional health benefit - stronger bones. 

Older drinkers consuming white wine in moderation had a higher bone mineral density than those opting for red wine or beer.

“Ageing is often accompanied by an increase in the problematic fat that can lead to heightened cardiovascular disease risk as well as by a reduction in bone mineral density," says study author Brittany Larsen. 

"This has important health implications given that nearly 75% of adults in the U.S. are considered overweight or obese.” 

In Australia, of course, we are all lithe and lovely. 

The found that there are many biological and environmental factors that contribute to weight gain and alcohol is just one of those factors. 

“Alcohol has long been considered one possible driving factor for the obesity epidemic," Larsen said. 

"Yet the public often hears conflicting information about the potential risks and benefits of alcohol. Therefore, we hoped to help untangle some of these factors through our research."

The researchers aim to continue their analysis of alcohol’s effects on human health. Their next step is to examine how diet - including alcohol consumption - influences diseases of the brain and cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment.

The findings were published in the journal Obesity Science & Practice.

Image: Marco Maisano, Scop.io