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It has been stated that drinking a glass of red wine per day is good for the heart. There has been a lot of discussion surrounding this issue; two examples are this article from the Guardian and this CNN article.

I am wondering whether there is a marketing campaign behind the claims about red wine, as has been stated about açaí.

Where does the received wisdom about a glass of red wine at night come from? What about the veracity of these statements about red wine? What are some definitive facts (with references) for this debate?

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Very related (possibly a dupe): skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/1059/… – Sam I Am Jun 13 '12 at 3:51
@SamIAm: Thanks. The question is a subtly different one, though one of its answers has bearing on this question. The reason why I will argue that this question is different is the implication that it's wine (and wine more than any other common alcoholic beverage and also not grape juice) that one is encouraged to drink regularly in moderate amounts, for its supposed health benefits. Like for all urban myths, a statement can and should be considered misleading if obvious implications are left out (by omission of facts or details). – Lover of Structure Jun 13 '12 at 5:59
Please provide an example of the claim... Also, please keep the question neutral! :-) – Sklivvz♦ Jun 13 '12 at 6:25
@Sklivvz: Thanks. I hope my edit is an improvement. – Lover of Structure Jun 13 '12 at 9:07
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@user14996 I agree that the question I linked to is very similar but still a different question. I linked it for you to see if the answers there satisfactorily answered your question. :) – Sam I Am Jun 13 '12 at 20:39
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The debate over if red wine had benefits for the heart or other areas of the body focuses around the current debate over the supposed health benefits of the natural phenol Resveratrol.

From the Linus Pauling Institute OSU:

Although resveratrol can inhibit the growth of cancer cells in culture and in some animal models, it is not known whether high intakes of resveratrol can prevent cancer in humans.

Moderate alcohol consumption has been consistently associated with 20-30% reductions in coronary heart disease risk, but it is not yet clear whether red wine polyphenols, such as resveratrol, confer any additional risk reduction.

Notice that they used the word associated in the above quote meaning that there could be any number of other factors that are not measured in scientific study that could influence this correlation (Eg. moderate alcohol consumption may lower stress and lower stress improves heart health?)

Socioeconomic and lifestyle differences between people who prefer wine and those who prefer beer or liquor may explain part of the additional benefit observed in some studies. Several studies have found that people who prefer wine tend to have higher incomes, more education, smoke less, and eat more fruits and vegetables and less saturated fat than people who prefer other alcoholic beverages

Considering the mass media hype surrounding the potential health benefits of red wine, and various press releases by pharmeceutical companies surrounding the supposed benefits, this study has never been published in a peer reviewed scientific journal, so claims made here cannot be taken seriously.

In all, there may be some truth to this, as high dosages of resveratrol had positive effects in lab mice, but so far nobody can really say for sure.

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Thank you. I do think that the conclusion for now is to not yet admit red wine benefits into the repertoire of confirmed knowledge to base one's life on. My reasoning goes like this: The relevant claims are plausible but have not been demonstrated in a scientifically conclusive way. Like any "possible" but vague statements, the benefits offered by believing in them are too unclear (is it overall better for one's health to drink more wine or not?) and do not necessarily outweigh the burdens imposed on one's life (money spent for wine instead of gym membership, regular monitoring and worries). – Lover of Structure Jun 13 '12 at 18:02
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@user14996: Wine is said to have other health benefits as well, not necessarily related specifically to heart health. It's said by some to help digestion, provide probiotics, etc. Some of these other claims may (or may not) have a more solid scientific backing. – Flimzy Jun 14 '12 at 21:17
@Flimzy provide probiotics Increasingly the wine that is bought in stores or large wineries today has been effectively sanitized of active yeasts and bacteria so that claim is probably worthy of its own question. Most beer and wine today unless it is homemade, has been treated with UV radiation that neuters and kills the active yeast strains to stop fermentation immediately. This is done to control sugar content and prevent high pressure buildup by bottling sweeter wines earlier. Is this practice really that widespread or is their something else other than active yeast that promotes this? – maple_shaft Jun 15 '12 at 11:12
@maple_shaft: That's a fair point. Whether wine has other "probiotic" properties, I don't know. I'm not really prepared to defend the view that wine is good for one's health at all--I just wanted to make the point that the claims for wine's health benefits don't end at "heart health." – Flimzy Jun 15 '12 at 15:24

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