Barrel Room Buzz

Salud, Drink to your Health

Wine’s role on the public health stage has fluctuated between friend and foe throughout the ages and has found a resting place in our time as beneficial when consumed in moderate amounts. The tricky part is, what is considered “moderate” can vary greatly depending upon with whom you are talking. It is generally accepted in medical studies that moderate drinking is limited to one glass of wine, 4-5 ounces, for women and two for men and no they are not being sexist just scientific, as men tend to weigh more and absorb alcohol more slowly. The health benefits decrease dramatically and in fact turn detrimental when the level of alcohol becomes excessive. I found a quote on wikipedia from Eubulus, a writer in Ancient Greece, that I found strikingly true even today:

“Three bowls do I mix for the temperate: one to health, which they empty first, the second to love and pleasure, the third to sleep. When this bowl is drunk up, wise guests go home. The fourth bowl is ours no longer, but belongs to violence; the fifth to uproar, the sixth to drunken revel, the seventh to black eyes, the eight is the policeman’s, the ninth belong to biliousness, and the tenth to madness and hurling the furniture”

So limit your intake and maintain not only a pleasurable evening, but reap in the added health benefits of your extracurricular activity.

Wine is considered to be the oldest documented man-made medicine, being utilized in 2200 BC by the Egyptians as an antiseptic on wounds and ingested for relief of pain during childbirth. The use of wine continued to perpetuate through middle eastern countries before reaching Europe, where it was most often utilized in conjuncture with religion or belief in the supernatural. Greeks included wine as part of a healthy diet and Roman doctors saved hundreds of gladiators lives by the simple application of wine as a disinfectant to their battle wounds. When access to clean water was problematic wine was drank as a substitute since the fermentation process kills most harmful bacteria.

The 19th and 20th centuries brought about a shift in the acceptance of wine as the outcry against alcoholism began to grow. The excessive use and abuse of alcohol became more prevalent in society and as a result the Temperance movement was born and started gaining momentum in Europe and the US. This movement lead to Prohibition in the US from 1920 through 1933 when finally the trials and tribulations of The Great Depression aided in the repeal on the ban of alcohol.

The next major turn in the view on alcohol arose in the 1990’s when the “French Paradox” became a buzz phrase and phenomenon. During this time period Americans were gaining more weight and suffering from increased rates of heart disease. As scientist searched for the cause they began pointing the finger at our high consumption levels of saturated (animal) fat. One study began researching the French culture, which maintains a relatively low percentage of overweight citizens as well as low incidence of cardiovascular disease, hoping to gain insight on ways to reduce Americans struggles. The paradox lies in the fact that the French consume significantly higher amounts of animal fat than the US and yet seem to evade the adverse effects. One theory that was found focused on the amount of red wine consumed by the French people and the compound contained within the wine, Resveratol. It was concluded that this specific conglomerate of molecules found in the skins of grapes promoted longevity and cancer prevention.

Today varying studies have found results favoring the moderate consumption of wine. Its abilities have been toted with the potential of increasing bone density in women, decreasing the risk of certain types of cancer, aiding in digestion, improving the balance of LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol) thus building a healthy heart, maintaining good eyesight by decreasing macular degeneration and may even reduce the risk of dementia related ailments. A glass a day will keep the doctor away, but remember to keep your life and consumption in balance in order to receive the greatest health rewards.

In honor of healthy lifestyles paired with delicious wine, we put together the “Play Hard and Drink Epic Wine Special,” with suggested  fun outdoor activities!

Salud,
Courtney Black

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