Benefits of Wine: 8 Reasons Wine Is the Best Thing Ever

Feeling guilty about your nightly glass of vino? We give you full permission to drink up—for your health. Cheers to these many awesome (surprising!) benefits of wine.

 Benefits of Wine: It Makes You More Attractive

Drinking just one glass of wine makes you more attractive to others, according to a study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism. Researchers think low doses of alcohol (more does not help) may give you a healthy glow and subtle smile—who doesn't want that?

 Benefits of Wine: It's Good for Your Heart

While researchers have found an association between wine and heart health, many past studies only looked at white populations. But a new Nutrition and Aging study looked at almost 3,000 ethnically diverse women, and found some good news: Moderate wine consumption may reduce your risk of heart disease, possibly because of the polyphenol content.

 Benefits of Wine: It May Help Maintain Muscle

French researchers set out to discover whether resveratrol, a component of wine (which has been linked to lower levels of bad cholesterol and protecting the lining of blood heart vessels) could help preserve muscle mass in astronauts. Why? Astronauts experience lots of health issues from the zero gravity inactivity. To replicate the weightless state, researches hung rats by their back legs. Half received a dose of resveratrol and the other half didn't. Those that didn't experienced reduced muscle mass, strength, and bone density while the resveratrol group was spared.



 Benefits of Wine: It Reduces Stress

That's always our excuse, right? But it's legit: "All types of alcohol are central nervous system depressants, which means they depress brain activity and trigger a calming, sleep effect," says Cynthia Sass, MA, RD, CSSD, author of Slim Down Now: Shed Pounds and Inches with Real Food, Real Fast (available March 10).

 Benefits of Wine: It Can Prevent Memory Loss

Overweight adults who took resveratrol supplements for six months had a better short-term memory than their counterparts who took a placebo, according to a small Journal of Neuroscience study. Since wine has this secret ingredient, it could play the same effect on your brain.

 Benefits of Wine: It Can Burn Fat

A chemical found in muscadine grapes (a dark-red variety) may slow the growth of fat cells, while improving liver function in overweight people, according to a recent Oregon State University study. Sadly, guzzling a bottle of red still isn't your best weight-loss strategy, but booze that improves liver function? We'll take it.

Benefits of Wine: It Can Help Fight Cavities

You heard right. Despite the high sugar count in grapes (and notorious "wine mouth"), both wine and grape seed extract may actually be good for your chompers, since they help rid teeth of plaque-causing bacteria, says the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.


 Benefits of Wine: It Can Help Lower Breast Cancer Risk

A Journal of Women's Health study found that red wine, when enjoyed in moderation, can help lower breast cancer risk in women. "This was a significant finding because it challenged the long-held belief that any type of alcohol, even in moderation, may up breast cancer risk," says Sass. While alcohol is known to increase estrogen levels (bad news when it comes to cancer risk), researchers found that red wine (not white) resulted in slightly lower estrogen levels (good news for cancer risk—and red wine).