Question about the health benefits of red wine

You may be speaking of "phytomins" which are the power packed nutrients found in the skins of fruit and veggies.

The best known ones are carotenoids, beta carotene, and flavonoids (the reddish pigments found in grape skins and citrus fruits) and isoflavones.

Google "phytomins" for more info. I believe there is also an inherent benefit in small amounts of alcohol consumed during the week (heart and blood pressure).

John,
I dont know a lot about that subject but mabey this little bit will be insightful.

The seeds and skins of grapes contain an antioxidant called Resveratrol. Blueberries and other dark fruits also contain a similar amount of resveratrol.From what I have studied there isnt a significant difference in amount. However, there is a greater amount of information on wine made from grapes due to the popularity of traditional grape wine over wine made from other fruits. So in a nut shell... there is a lack of studies to support any real answer to the difference.
They both contain more healthful antioxidants than beer and that works for me!

Much thanks to MiamiAtty and Cherry for their responses.

I did some digging on this subject and learned some interesting things about it that I thought that I would pass on.

Besides the obvious heath benefits of the alcohol in the wine the antioxidant Resveratrol seems to be one of the biggest health boosting components contained in the wine.

there is a grape variety that is native the the South Eastern USA known as Muscadine that has the highest concentrations of Resveratrol by far. Here are some comparisons:

Muscadine grapes: more than 40 mg/l
Pinot Noir: .40-2.0
Spanish Red wines: 1.92-12.58
Red wines (global): 1.98-7.13

Blueberries and other fruits have less that 10% of the Resveratrol of grapes.

Fruit produces Resveratrol in response to an attack by fungus, therefore grapes grown in cooler more humid climates (parts of Northern Europe) have a higher concentration of Resveratrol. It sounds like grapes grown in parts of the world where the climate is not condusive to fungal growth contain little if any of this chemical.

Which varieties of wine have the highest concentrations of flavinoids? Test results showed that the flavinoid favorite is Cabernet Sauvignon, followed closely by Petit Syrah and Pinot Noir. Both Merlots and red Zinfandels have fewer flavinoids than their more potent predecessors.

Out of interest I did a google search of Florida wineries and the two that I checked both offered wines made from these Muscadine grapes but they probably taste like crap

Take care
John

John, I've heard that they are growing these big grapes (Muscadine) in N.C. as well as others with good success. I think they also call them "Scuppernong" grapes.

My uncle (who is really an eye surgeon but thinks he's a farmer) is now harvesting them, cab, and perhaps another variety, and is trying to get an AVA designated to the N.C. area.

Anyway, good luck with your research, and don't forget to open up a few bottles in the process.

Check out this article at WebMD:
http://aolsvc.health.webmd.aol.com/content/article/130/117769.htm

You ought to take all this with a handful of salt, really. The health benefits of wine have been hard to prove, at best. It seems people wgho drink wine generally eat better too compared to a control group, so that's probably a more likely factor.

Jamie Goode (PhD in plant biology and author of wine science books) had the following to say a few months ago:

quote:

B******s! If red wine has health benefits, it is almost certainly not because of its antioxidant properties. The latest evidence suggests that dietary antioxidants don't really work. I do wish people would speak to someone knowledgable on wine and health issues before issuing this sort of disinformation.

Jamie Goode PhD or as the real Physicians, Pharmacologists and people that biopsy the thickness of the walls in hundreds of patients coronary ateries, Those Were the people I dealt with every day at the University of Washington School Of Medicine as well as a pharmaceutical company striving to cure that which was wrong. The mediterranean paradox is extensively research every day and those MDS, PharmDs the drink red wine religiously as they do green tea.

Huh!