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Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners
Can red wine lower my risk of cardiovascular disease?
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I have a relatively healthy diet and I have always hear that drinking 1 or 2 glasses of red wine a week can offer protective benefits for my heart. Is this true? -
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Nicole Senior
Dietitian, Nutritionist
I'm an Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist, consultant, author, speaker and food and health enthusiast. I love talking and writing about food and health.(please note, … View Profile
That's a good question and we don't have the full answer yet. Heart health organisations like the Heart Foundation do not recommend you start drinking any alcohol- wine or otherwise- to reduce your risk because drinking alcohol comes with some significant other health risks of its own (most notably the risk of cancer). If you already drink alcohol, then ‘little and often’ is best, and any cardiovascular benefit appears to come from 1-2 standard drinks daily (not much!). The type of alcohol doesn't seem to matter - it is the alcohol itself that seems to help the heart: the Heart Foundation certainly doesn't recommend red wine for the antioxidants. So if you enjoy a drink, have the sort you like (red, white or rose, beer or spritis) but stop at 1-2 standard drinks a day only, and continue with your healthy diet because it's likely the combination of healthy food and a little alcohol is part of any beneficial effects.
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