It fascinates. It relaxes. It intrigues. It adds complexity to a meal. And now, as a number of scientific studies completed over the past few years have shown, red wine is also good for our health.

According to many of these studies, this ancient beverage not only gives us pleasure but also offers benefits to our well-being. One of the most intriguing results of these studies is wine, taken in moderation, may help to reduce the risk of heart attacks as well as other cardio- vascular problems. It offers these benefits, as reported in a Mayo Clinic paper, particularly through resveratrol, a substance found on the skin of red grapes; since all the color in a wine comes from the grape’s skin, resveratrol is present in all red wine. The study states, “Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help to protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart”; resveratrol is one of those polyphenols.

PHOTO: © NESTEROV91 – DREAMSTIME.COM

Another study by Swedish researchers reported in Annals of Internal Medicine found that compared to teetotalers, light drinkers in their early 30s who consumed wine cut their risk of dying prematurely by nearly a third. The same group, who reported drinking one or two glasses of wine a day, also had significantly higher levels of HDL, known as “good” cholesterol. The reason? The red wine consumed daily helped remove artery-clogging LDLs before they had a chance to choke blood vessels.

And in yet another study of 2,900 women, those who consumed a glass of wine daily had significantly reduced markers for inflammation than women who did not drink alcohol at all.

Many other studies uphold red wine’s health benefits. And there are other, yet unproven but possible benefits of red wine. For example, red wine possibly promotes healthy bacteria in our system, it may promote longevity, and it may even help our mental health by reducing depression.

With such a range of attributes and possibilities, the next time we raise a glass of red wine to toast our dining companions, we can say, with certainty and pleasure, “To your health.”