Did you ever wonder what the health benefits are for three of the major types of wine – red, white, and sparkling?
Red Wine
- Pros: Most people know that red wine contains the most resveratrol, the antioxidant found in wine skin that may up the drink’s by preventing blood vessel damage as well as reducing LDL cholesterol. Red wine also contains flavinoids, another important antioxidant.
- Cons: Most of those red-wine-touting studies have been on animals, and the amount of wine we’d have to drink to equal the same amount given to mice would counteract any of the supposed benefits. Also, those 127 calories a glass can add up, even if you are only drinking one a day.
White Wine
- Pros: White wine may be beneficial to your lungs. Research has shown that drinking white wine helps .
- Cons: White wines are the most acidic, meaning they’re the the worst for your teeth. In addition, whites contain far less of the heart-healthy and cancer-preventing antioxidants than reds do, and are about the same calories.
Sparkling Wine
- Pros: Sparkling wines like Champagne actually have the same healthy benefits as red wine does, since bubbly is often made with both red and white grapes. In fact, champagne was found to have as many of those beneficial polyphenols as a cup of hot chocolate. Also, a glass of sparkling contains than red or white — 80 vs. around 120.
- Cons: Champagne has similar health concerns to other wine, and for many is a common trigger for migraines.