What you Didn’t Know About Wine and Weight Loss

If the idea of giving up your weekly wine nights is unthinkable, take some solace in the fact that certain types of wine might actually aid your weight loss journey.

It goes without saying that alcohol should always be drunk in moderation. Too much is not good for your liver and pancreatic health, your blood pressure, or your brain among other things. However, there is some evidence to show that drinking red wine in moderation could support a healthy weight.

Let’s look at the details..

Red wine contains antioxidants, specifically natural levels of the antioxidant compound resveratrol. Scientific studies suggest that this compound has anti-inflammatory and anti-tumorigenic properties, and could even support your heart health. Together with other flavonoids, resveratrol can prevent plaque formation along your artery walls.

Research has shown that 1 -2 5 oz glasses of red wine per day can help raise your levels of healthy HDL cholesterol in your body. A study in 2010 showed that women who drank 2 glasses of red wine a day were 27 % less likely to become overweight or obese, than those who did not.

Another 2012 study showed that resveratrol actually enhanced exercise performance in rats! The rats metabolism, cardiac function, and skeletal muscle increased in the duration of the study. If we apply that to humans, it could mean red wine might also help your workout performance.

Another study showed that red wine could help to raise your levels of the appetite-regulating hormone, leptin. The problem is the study only showed this increase for women, and in an even older trial, the men involved did not show any weight loss at all.

According to several sources, only one type of wine grape is known to actually contain fat-fighting ellagic acid. The Red Muscadine grape is native to southeastern US and grows primarily in Georgia.

If muscadine wine proves elusive for you to get hold of, rest assured that ellagic acid is also found in any type of oak-aged wines as ellagitannin. It has actually been shown to prevent the development of cancer cells.

Here’s the thing thought - more scientific research is needed to show any firm proof of how resveratrol and ellagic acid in red wine is linked to weight loss or health benefits in a positive way.

You can find both these compounds in other, more healthy foods also.

Ellagic acid is also found in:

Raspberries

Blackberries

Green tea

Oolong tea

Walnuts

Pecans

Resveratrol is also found in:

Plums

Apples

Blueberries

Raspberries

Peanuts

The Bottom Line?

Go easy on the vino overall but if you are partial to the odd glass, or enjoy wine tastings, festivals, or a social drink out at dinner with friends, choose red over white.

Red wine is fermented with the grape seeds, skins, and stems while white wine is not.

The grape skins are why red wine has more tannins and resveratrol than white wine also.

If you are really serious about losing weight, your focus should be on consuming a nutritious, healthy diet overall with plenty of exercise and healthy lifestyle habits.

If you want to include the odd glass of red wine with that (in moderation), chances are you won’t be causing long-term harm and you might even be benefiting from all those antioxidants and potential weight-loss components.