Moderate wine consumption has been extensively studied due to its association with several health benefits. Occasional wine intake improves mental health, prevents cardiovascular diseases, eliminates the risks of certain cancers, and many more, which all can eventually lengthen people’s life span.
Several experts are still continuously looking into the pros and cons of wine intake, despite the thousands of existing published studies about it. It seems like discoveries on wine has no ending, ‘yet.’ Just recently, researchers discovered how wine could also improve dental health, PMS, and fertility.
Should it be the other way around? You’ve thought wines can stain your teeth, worsen PMS, and have been known to aggravate pregnancy? That’s what we’ve thought initially, too!
Dental Health
According to the American Dental Association, wine is one of the most teeth-staining drinks. Red wine, to be specific, isn’t recommended by orthodontics to people who are wearing dental braces.
However, wine is also a well-known antimicrobial agent. Little did people know, its antibacterial properties are also beneficial to dental health. Have you considered your Duero Wines as parts of your oral hygiene? You’re not alone!
Recent research shows how both red and white wines can counteract microbial-caused dental conditions, including dental plaque and tartar, gum diseases, tooth decay, and other severe bacterial diseases of the mouth.
The University of Pavia in Italy had discovered that red and white wines could deter any oral conditions caused by Streptococcus mutan. This dental pathogen can cause tooth decay by producing glucans or sugary substances. If not taken care of well, it can result in tooth loss. Also, Madrid’s Spanish National Research Council claimed that caffeic and p-coumaric acid, two polyphenols found in wine, could inhibit bacterial growth, like cavities and plaque. The two antioxidants were found to function best with an oral probiotic called Streptococcus dentisani.
Another study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported that a combination of grape seed extract and wine could effectively prevent 60% of any bacterial mouth infections, including gum diseases.
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
Wine and other alcohol can worsen PMS or premenstrual syndrome. The New York Times likewise reported that alcohol consumption could prolong and worsen menstrual cramps. This credence was said to be “proven” by several western medicinal studies.
For instance, bloatedness is one of the hormonal fluctuations that every woman may experience during her period. According to western medicine, drinking enough water tends to flush out waste, and hence reduces bloating. On the contrary, alcohol is known to cause dehydration. Doing so would only relatively worsen PMS, instead.
The TCM or traditional Chinese medicine also considers that wine can result in dehydration, which, in turn, aggravates premenstrual and menstruation symptoms. However, this would only be experienced if a female consumed more glasses of wine than what’s recommended. For over a millennium now, TCM has been using red wine to relieve PMS. In this medical practice, drinking a glass of wine during menstruation can normalize body circulation and soothe menstrual cramps.
Keep in mind that the recommended intake is between 1-2 glasses of wine. This consumption could already warm your body up. Based on TCM, blood and qi move so they can both warm internal coldness or yang deficiency, which usually takes place during menstruation. Warming food sources like wine can help in circulating blood and qi around one’s body. Consequently, one’s body circulation would be improved.
The TCM also believed that wines, specifically the red ones, are natural muscle relaxants. This has been scientifically explained, as well. Wines are rich in resveratrol, which acts like antioxidants that can protect one’s body against any internal and physical harm, including muscle contractions in the uterus during the menstrual period. This is why, when taken in moderation, wine can soothe menstrual cramps.
Fertility
Not only wine aid in relieving women’s PMS but also their fertility. Studies showed that wine consumption has something to do with females’ ovarian reserve, the capability of an ovary to provide egg cells for fertilization.
In Missouri, Washington University discovered that women who weekly consumed wine in moderation improved their ovarian reserve than those who don’t drink.
According to the researchers, this fertility rate development occurred due to the presence of resveratrol. As mentioned earlier, this compound protects one’s body from any damages. In this research, wines’ resveratrol protected ovarian cells from biological stress, which caused an increase in the number of viable eggs of women who moderately drank wine every week.
Unfortunately, this study particularly paid attention to the association of wine and how it affects the improvement of ovarian reserves and not on pregnancy rates, yet—it is more into the quantity of the eggs rather than their quality. The researchers suggested further research on this scope.
Takeaway
Moderate consumption of wine offers a myriad of health advantages, ranging from skin improvement to cancer risk prevention. This article has shown another side of what wines could potentially offer in your optimal wellness. It’s just that wines’ benefit on dental health, PMS, and fertility needs more scientific evidence for now.
