I got a mail from wineshop.it this morning. Their goal is obviously to sell more wine, and in this case they’re using the supposed health benefits of red wine to do so.

Email from wineshop.it, selling the health benefits of red wine

Below, the text of the email, quoting a page from Yale-New Haven Hospital, but not all of it.

Is enjoying a glass of red wine with dinner each evening beneficial to your health? Current research suggests that a glass of red wine each day may be providing you with more than just a little relaxation. For over 10 years, research has indicated that moderate intake of alcohol improves cardiovascular health. In fact, in 1992 Harvard researchers included moderate alcohol consumption as one of the “eight proven ways to reduce coronary heart disease risk.” However, research has suggested that specifically red wine is the most beneficial to your heart health. The cardioprotective effect has been attributed to antioxidants, called flavonoids, present in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Recently, researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart. One study found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is prevalent in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumor development in some cancers. Another study indicated that resveratrol aided in the formation of nerve cells, which experts believe may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Source: www.ynhh.org

Here’s the concluding piece from the Yale-New Haven page

The debate continues on whether it is the components of the wine, the way the wine is consumed, or the lifestyle traits that is the most responsible for the long healthy lives of many wine drinkers.

Selling this way makes me a little uneasy, as the studies are by no means conclusive.

What do you think?