Dr. Scott Weslow is an interventional cardiologist with Aurora BayCare who stopped by "Wisconsin Tonight" with some good news for wine drinkers.
Research released this year is reinforcing the claim that regular but moderate consumption of red wine offers some positive benefit to the heart, at least for some.
* A study by researchers at a university and medical/research center in Israel examined the effectiveness of red wine consumption on a group of people with controlled type 2 diabetes. The patients were selected because diabetes patients are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and have lower levels of heart-protective HDL cholesterol.
* Researchers selected 224 alcohol-abstaining, diabetes patients, both male and female, ages 40-75. Patients were assigned to one of three drinking regiments – one 5-ounce glass of mineral water, white wine, or red wine – with dinner for two years. All groups followed a Mediterranean diet for two years without caloric restriction.
* Without getting into too many details, the study found that the red wine drinkers increased their good HDL cholesterol levels more so than the group that drank water. Wine drinkers also experienced better quality sleep than water drinkers. That suggests moderate wine intake, especially red wine, modestly decreases cardiometabolic risk.
One glass of red wine with dinner is recommended.
For more information, visit www.baycare.net or call Aurora BayCare Cardiology (920) 288-8300.
