Benefits of red wine consumption in healthy diets

(HernandoToday) - Each night with dinner, Jennifer Blake enjoys a glass of chilled pinot noir to stave off the stresses of her busy life. A paralegal for a major law firm and the mother of two children under the age of 8, Blake is often battling an overburdened schedule.

"It relaxes me," Blake said. "I'm better able to deal with the stresses of evening routines; the kids' homework, laundry and bedtime."

But recently Blake's wine consumption has become more than a relaxer. She was told by her doctor that drinking wine in moderation is believed to be beneficial to her health, particularly her heart.

"Even more reason to keep that part of my evening routine," Blake said, laughing.

More attention is being directed to the topic of moderate alcohol consumption and its positive benefits on healthier lifestyles. Studies prove alcohol in general can add healthy benefits, if used in moderation.

Consider information provided by the Yale New Haven Hospital that found moderate intake of alcohol improves cardiovascular health. And research conducted at Harvard included moderate alcohol consumption as one of eight proven ways to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Dr. Michael S. Fenster, a board-certified interventional cardiologist in private practice, did extensive research on the benefits of alcohol, particularly wine, in healthier cooking. In his book "Eating Well Living Better," Fenster dove into the topic of wine in food preparation.

"Moderate alcohol consumption has been studied and seems to convey clear cardiovascular benefits such as few heart attacks, peripheral vascular disease and hypertension and perhaps some in terms of reduction in stroke and increase in the incidence of Alzheimer's-related dementia," Fenster wrote. "There also seems to be some potential benefit against developing gall stones, arthritis, osteoporosis, Parkinson's disease, certain forms of cancer and Type 2 Diabetes.