One Glass of Wine with Dinner May Lower Your Risk of Type 2 Diabetes
Who doesn’t love a glass of red wine at the end of a long day? This ritual isn’t just relaxing. Researchers generally agree that the polyphenol content and antioxidant benefits of a glass of wine could be very good for you.
A recent study found drinking a glass of wine with meals could lower your risk of type 2 diabetes. But before you bust out the cabernet, there are a few important things to note.
Wine with dinner
Whenever a study about the benefits of drinking wine comes out, there are always a few caveats. In this case, the link between drinking red wine and reducing risk of type 2 diabetes has two conditions: the quantity of wine you consume and the time of day you consume it.
Over the course of 11 years, researchers at the Tulane University Obesity Research Centre in New Orleans collected data from almost 312,400 ‘healthy drinkers.’ For the study, ‘healthy’ was defined as drinking regularly in moderation and having no other medical issues (such as heart disease or cancer). The test subjects were mostly white and European, and their average age was 56.
After about 11 years of following up with the study participants, the results showed that around 8,600 of them developed type 2 diabetes. The study outcomes also showed that drinking alcohol with a meal was linked to a 14 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as opposed to drinking alcohol without food. The study also showed that whiles drinking moderately with meals lowered risk, the benefit was most apparent for those who drank wine with their meals as opposed to other types of alcohol.
Author of the study, Dr. Hao Ma, PhD, summarized: “The message from this study is that drinking moderate amounts of wine with meals may prevent type 2 diabetes if you do not have another health condition that may be negatively affected by moderate alcohol consumption and in consultation with your doctor.”
Everything in moderation.
So, how much is moderate? According to the CDC, drinking one glass of alcohol per day is considered moderate alcohol consumption for women. Keep in mind that any amount of alcohol consumption could increase other health risks, including liver disease, breast cancer, high blood pressure, and stroke.
The American Heart Association advises that if you don’t currently drink alcohol, you shouldn’t start. But for those who do, it’s worth consulting with a doctor to learn more about the possible link between red wine consumption and decreased risk of type 2 diabetes.
It’s possible that a little indulgence could do a lot of good.
For more on foods that help balance blood sugar:
These 9 Simple (and Delicious!) Food Swaps Significantly Lower Diabetes Risk, Say MDs
9 Low-Glycemic Fruits to Consider Adding to Your Diet — Even If You Suffer from Diabetes
