"Three bowls only do I serve for the temperate: one for health, which they empty first; the second for love and pleasure, and the third for 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 eighth is the policeman's, the ninth belongs to biliousness, and the tenth to madness and hurling the furniture." These words, written twenty-three centuries ago by Eubulus still apply today.
As a physician, I have seen more death, destruction, and misery wrought by alcohol than I would ever have imagined growing up in a small town in upstate New York. Nevertheless, there is a certain truth to Eubulus' first sentence. This has been born out recent reports in the scientific and popular press.
When considering wine as an aid to health, first consider what is common to all chemical "aides to health". Specifically, you are introducing a foreign substance into your body for some purpose other than nutrition. Whenever you do this, whether its "natural" like herbs or wine, or "chemical" like medications, there are bound to be side effects. These may be either good, bad, or neutral, but they will occur.
What then is the answer to health? When we think of wine, we think specifically of cardiovascular or circulatory health. There are many things you can do short of introducing a foreign substance into your body to help yourself to good life long circulation. These include regular exercise, reducing stress, reducing fats and increasing fruits and vegetables in your diet. And stop smoking. When this fails to reduce your heart and brain circulation risks, typically there are genetic (inherited) factors involved.
When positive measures fail, then you need to think about other measures- i.e. chemicals. Wine appears to have a number of substances in it that help reduce bad cholesterol, increase HDL's, and significantly reduce hardening of the arteries. However, it is not the "magic potion" that will eliminate your risk of heart disease. Instead, it adds to the benefits derived from the positive, non-chemical measures described above to bring about better all around health. Sometimes, you will need to take medications despite all of these efforts on your part. Let me assure you, pills are the last resort when it comes to disease prevention. If you have to take them despite a healthy diet and life style, the amount of medication you need to control high cholesterol and blood pressure will be much less than if you don't maintain a good diet and exercise program.
So what does your favorite neurophysiologist and amateur enologist do? Exercise regularly, eat lots of fruits and vegetables, get my cholesterol checked regularly, and enjoy my wine, knowing that not only does it enhance my dinner, its good for me! What more can you ask for!!
DocGrog