Best Red Wine to Lower Blood Pressure

Learn how much red wine per day is best for heart health and how it may help you lower high blood pressure.

Red Wine | Heart Health | Blood Pressure | How Much | Best Time | Best Wine

Does Red Wine Lower Blood Pressure?

This question refers to the general dual nature of alcohol:

• Moderate amounts yield health benefits
• But binge drinking increases the risk of mortality and heart failure

In like manner, the fathers of modern medicine and toxicology, Hippocrates and Paracelsus, already knew about the benefits of red wine for health.

Following the general rule, “the dose makes the poison,” they recommended drinking diluted red wine for health.

On the other hand, the misconception that alcohol must be toxic in any dose only evolved in the 1920s during Prohibition (DiNicolantonio et al. 2019¹).

In moderation, red wine is a powerhouse for your heart. Thousands of bioactive compounds are responsible for these remarkable health benefits of red wine.

Health Benefits

In contrast to common belief, recent studies confirm the health benefits of red wine.

Scientific studies not only consistently found that moderate alcohol consumption reduces heart disease but also showed that red wine offers the best protection (Goldfinger 2003²).

Likewise, the Copenhagen City Heart study found that moderate alcohol consumption causes less overall mortality. Three to five drinks a day reduced mortality by a stunning 50% compared to people not consuming whine.

Once again, the benefits could only be observed for wine consumption. On the other hand, Beer and Spirits could not yield the same health benefits (Gronbaek et al. 1995³).

Likewise, a French study suggests a 33% reduction in all-cause mortality while not showing any health benefits for beer (Renaud et al. 1999⁴).

The best health benefits occur with one glass of red wine per day (Yuan et al. 1997⁵). In contrast, excessive drinking is associated with violent deaths in younger and liver cirrhosis in older people (Thun et al. 1997⁶).

Nevertheless, moderate drinking has been found to prolong life by as much as five years compared to abstinence (Streppel et al. 2009⁷).

Thus, drink a glass of red wine daily – it’s good for your heart health and blood pressure! But drinking a bottle of wine a day is bad for you.

Polyphenols

While some of the health benefits of red wine are due to alcohol, most come from other bioactive compounds called polyphenols.

In particular, the health benefits of wine are due to a class of polyphenols called flavonoids. Also, tea, onions, and broccoli are rich in flavonoids.

Since red wine is made from the whole grape, fermentation can result in up to ten times the amount of polyphenols.

White wine, on the other hand, is fermented after removing the skin. Therefore, white wine only yields up to 30 milligrams of flavonoids, while red wines can exceed 1000 milligrams per liter.

Since they are natural antioxidants, these polyphenols reduce oxidation of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), “the bad cholesterol.” On the other hand, moderate alcohol helps to raise high-density lipoprotein (HDL), “the good cholesterol (Sato et al. 2002⁸).”

In addition, polyphenols counteract blood clotting, thin blood, and relax blood vessels (Haseeb et al. 2017⁹).

Resveratrol

The flavonoid resveratrol is one of the most potent polyphenols. Moreover, resveratrol comes from the grape skin.

For this reason, it’s exclusive to red wine because the grape skin is not removed before fermentation. Furthermore, the body can only absorb resveratrol when ingested as wine.

Many of resveratrol’s health benefits come from increasing nitric oxide (NO).

Nitric oxide is a natural gas that helps to prevent atherosclerosis and blood clotting. Additionally, resveratrol increases the overall life span (Biagi et al. 2015¹⁰).

French Paradox

In the 1960s, the belief evolved that too much animal fat causes heart disease.

Compared to the U.S., the consumption of animal fats is about three times as high in France. But Americans have twice as much heart disease as the French (Galinski et al. 2016¹¹).

Additionally, the French also consume more alcohol. And these facts are known as “The French Paradox (Fragopoulou et al. 2009¹²).”

Recently scientific investigation uncovered two primary reasons for the French Paradox:

• Saturated fat instead protects against heart disease than causes them (Siri-Tariano et al. 2010¹³)
• Red wine is also protective instead of a risk factor for heart disease

Red Wine May Lower High Blood Pressure

Moreover, the polyphenols in red wine reduce the clotting tendency of blood, inflammation, and blood pressure (Sato et al. 2002¹⁶; Karatzi et al. 2005¹⁷).

With this in mind, the positive impact of alcohol on blood pressure is way better than salt restriction (Xin et al. 2001¹⁸).

However, conventional wisdom is flawed in both cases. Moderate alcohol and salt consumption reduces the risk of heart disease rather than supporting it.

Red Wine Supports Heart Health

Besides all-cause mortality, moderate red wine consumption significantly can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (Blackhurst et al. 2005¹⁴).

But while moderate drinking reduces cardiovascular diseases, excessive alcohol supports cancer and liver disease.

In like manner, the Women’s Health Study showed a 35% percent decrease in overall mortality and a whopping 51% decrease in cardiovascular-related death due to moderate drinking (Djousse et al. 2009¹⁵).

Also, researchers from Harvard University showed that red wine reduces the risk of heart disease and stroke by lowering insulin levels and insulin resistance (Lazarus et al. 1997¹⁹).

Summed up, the three most significant benefits of red wine for heart health, according to science, are:

• Less inflammation and blood clotting
• Reduced blood pressure
• Improved blood glucose/diabetes (Shai et al. 2007²⁰)

How Much Red Wine a Day is Healthy?

According to research, 12.5 grams of alcohol yield the lowest heart disease risk for women, while 25 grams for men (Corrao et al. 2000²¹).

Correspondingly, that’s 90 milliliters or 7 ounces of red wine a day for women. Likewise, men ideally drink 180 ml or 6 oz a day.

As a result, here’s how many glasses of red wine a day are healthy:

• ♀️: 0.7 🍷
• ♂️: 1.4 🍷

Nevertheless, stick to moderate amounts daily and avoid binge drinking to reap the health benefits of red wine (Szmitko et al. 2005²²).

If your condition prohibits alcohol, then de-alcoholized red wine can do the trick. It yields similar health benefits.

Although we now know how much red wine is healthy, we still need to determine what’s the best time to drink red wine for health.

Best Time to Drink Red Wine to Lower Blood Pressure

Should I drink red wine before or after a meal? That’s a frequently asked question.

But it’s plain wrong because the best time to drink red wine for health is with meals. Hence, the French traditionally drink red wine for dinner for a good reason.

Red wine at mealtimes prevents blood pressure from rising. Moreover, it helps to decrease blood glucose and insulin levels (Shai et al. 2007²³).

Additionally, red wine protects the endothelium of your blood vessels from cholesterol remnant particles and glucose. Hence, red wine at mealtimes reduces hypertension and atherosclerosis risk.

In like manner, we also don’t want the wine itself to raise blood glucose.

Which Red Wine Helps Lower Blood Pressure?

Also, wines often contain added sugar. Therefore, buy wine from a genuine vinery and region. Low residual sugar is a significant sign of quality.

Hence, here are the best dry red wine grapes with the least sugar:

• Pinot Noir (2.3g carbs, 0g sugar)
• Gamay (2.4g, 0g)
• Cabernet Franc, Merlot (2.5g, 0g)
• Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah (2.6g, 0g)

To put quality over quantity, I highly recommend using a wine app

It can show you the grape composition of a Cuvee, even if it’s not on the label.

It simplifies your life since you need to scan the label to get all the data about the origin, grapes, taste, and food pairing.

The price comparison and wine rankings help you get the best bang for your buck in seconds.

Best Red Wine for High Blood Pressure

The best red wine for heart health is traditionally pressed. Therefore, you need to find a vinery you can trust. Thus, watch out for certification of the area of origin. When in doubt, use a wine app.

Thus, France is still a sure shot for traditional quality wine. And remember, “life is too short to drink cheap wine.”

In like manner, more expensive wines have the potential to increase life span while cheap one does the opposite.

Hence, the best red wine for heart health is:

• Without added sugar
• Without chemical additives
• Mold-free
• Below 15% alcohol
• Low in sulfites
• Low in residual sugar

The single best grape is Pinot Noir due to the least sugar. Moreover, it should be easy to find since it’s the most common red burgundy grape.

Also, there’s nothing wrong with a genuine Bordeaux. It usually is a Cuvee of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, and cabernet franc.

In summary, here are the three most essential tips for leveraging red wine for heart health:

• The best red wine for health is Pinot Noir
• You should drink it with meals
• And limit consumption to one glass
  • A small one for women
  • A large one for men

If you follow these tips, a glass of red wine a day potentially improves your heart health.

In like manner, red wine improves blood pressure, blood clotting, blood glucose, inflammation, overall risk of cardiovascular disease, and mortality.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Which red wine is best for your heart?

The best red wine for heart health is traditionally pressed and, therefore, low in residual sugar, without additives, mold-free, and low in sulfites. The best grape 🍇 is Pinot Noir.

Is red wine good for your heart and blood pressure?

Red wine supports heart health ❤️ when consumed moderately. It helps to reduce blood pressure, blood clotting, and inflammation and reduces the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.

Is it OK to drink red wine everyday?

Yes, it is OK to drink red wine every day in moderate amounts. Research shows that one glass 🍷 of red wine daily yields the best health benefits.

Is a glass of red wine healthy?

Research shows that one glass of red wine daily supports heart health. The ideal amount of red wine is 90 ml/3 oz/0.7 glasses 🍷 a day for women and 180 ml/6 oz/1.4 glasses 🍷 a day for men.

References

#1-9

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²Goldfinger TM. Beyond the French paradox: the impact of moderate beverage alcohol and wine consumption in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Cardiol Clin. 2003 Aug;21(3):449-57. doi: 10.1016/s0733-8651(03)00081-x. Review. PubMed PMID: 14621457.

³Grønbaek M, Deis A, Sørensen TI, Becker U, Schnohr P, Jensen G. Mortality associated with moderate intakes of wine, beer, or spirits. BMJ. 1995 May 6;310(6988):1165-9. doi: 10.1136/bmj.310.6988.1165. PubMed PMID: 7767150; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC2549555.

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#10-17

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¹⁶Sato M, Maulik N, Das DK. Cardioprotection with alcohol: role of both alcohol and polyphenolic antioxidants. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2002 May;957:122-35. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2002.tb02911.x. PubMed PMID: 12074967.

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#18-23

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²³Shai I, Wainstein J, Harman-Boehm I, Raz I, Fraser D, Rudich A, Stampfer MJ. Glycemic effects of moderate alcohol intake among patients with type 2 diabetes: a multicenter, randomized, clinical intervention trial. Diabetes Care. 2007 Dec;30(12):3011-6. doi: 10.2337/dc07-1103. Epub 2007 Sep 11. PubMed PMID: 17848609.