A glass of red wine a day can do as much to keep the doctor away as an apple. As it turns out, they have something in common – they are both part of a family of foods that helps lower cholesterol and fight heart disease. Red wine has flavenoids, just like apples and dark grape juice, and all of them can help you live healthier.

Not only does red wine have flavenoids, proven to lower cholesterol it has resveratrol and saponins as well. It’s the flavenoids and resveratrol that have been shown to help fight heart disease and cardiovascular health up until now. The benefits of the saponins on cholesterol and cardiovascular health are a new discovery.

Flavenoids and resveratrol have antioxidant properties that help your cardiovascular system fight cancer and work at more optimum levels. Saponins are a glucose-based chemical in red wine that comes from plants. Saponins have a direct effect on LDL cholesterol, lowering it a few percentage points when consumed regularly.

The studies have shown that white wine is much less effective than red wine at lowering cholesterol, and shows no benefit to speak of in cardiovascular health. Red wine itself was even ranked from most to least effective. Coming in as most effective in the fight for heart health is red zinfandel, followed closely by Syrah (Shiraz in the United States). All red wines are beneficial, but Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon fell at the bottom of the list.

If you want the benefits of resveratrol and saponins without the alcohol content of the wine, you can try some of the foods that contain them both. Dark grape juice has the flavenoids and resveratrol without the alcohol, as do apples and green tea. For your daily dose of saponins you can turn to olive oil and soybeans. It seems tofu really is good for you after all.

Ldl Cholesterol | Medical Disclaimer |