Nectar of the gods, lethal intoxicant, social lubricant, water of madness, sacred medicinal drink ... since ancient times alcohol has been the intoxicating subject of artists, philosophers, physicians, monks, mystics and scientists. So does drinking alcohol have any virtues? What of its vices?

The good news

Alcoholic beverages produced by fermentation only are never stronger than wine, the reason being that the yeasts that convert the fruit sugars into alcohol do not function when the alcohol content exceeds 14 per cent. Only through the method of distillation can stronger alcoholic beverages be made. Any positive effects of alcohol are restricted to wine only.

Wine is one of the mildest in the family of alcoholic drinks and can be a good medicine when consumed in small quantities. Wine aids digestion, relaxes the heart and can decrease tension. Today, world health organisations advocate that moderate consumption of wine (one glass a day), preferably with meals, prevents the formation of cholesterol plaques in the arteries, reduces the risk of heart disease and even promotes a strong antioxidant effect.

Studies have revealed over and over that the low incidence of heart disease and stroke in Mediterranean countries is because of the consumption of red wine. The French, who tend to enjoy fatty food and are reported to have as high cholesterol and blood pressure as Americans do, have only a third the incidence of heart attacks of Americans. It has been suggested this is because of the high intake of red wine by the French.

What’s in a grape?

Beneficial OPCs

Red wine is said to be a rich source of oligomeric proanthocyanidine (OPC) complexes, red flavonoid compounds that are present when a fruit ripens. Flavonoids are a group of 4000 compounds that occur naturally in fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, green tea, flowers and bark. They play a major role in the maintenance of health. It is the use of the seeds and skin of the grape in the making of red wine that makes it a valuable agent in therapeutic terms. The making of white wine requires only the juice of the grape, therefore it has less therapeutic value.

The primary therapeutic use of OPC is to strengthen the walls of the capillaries, veins and arteries. This makes OPC a useful agent in disorders such as venous insufficiency, varicose veins, diabetic retinopathy and muscular degeneration. Just about everyone will benefit from the use of OPC in their daily diet because it is also a good antioxidant (50 times stronger than vitamin C), which means it will protect your whole body from the adverse effects of oxidation.

Although red wine helps to protect against lipid peroxidation, you should not forsake other simple preventative measures, such as simply avoiding all saturated fats (especially of animal origin) and increasing the consumption of fresh foods. Robert Buist PhD, a nutritionist and naturopath, suggests, “For those wishing to increase their daily intake of polyphenolic antioxidants (OPC) without the daily intake of red wine, one of the best alternative sources is grapeseed extract ... or just get used to eating apples and grapes whole, including the seeds.”