Everybody is going to love me for this supplement. At number 9 my vote goes to RED WINE.
I grew up in a household where alcohol was introduced responsibly and still remember that my mother use to say that Red wine is good for your heart and blood. In the old days Red wine was associated with Red blood and the more you drank the healthier you became. However in today's world of science we now know the real benefits. But it isn't the alcohol in the wine that provides a health benefit but the anti-oxidants, the red wine polyphenols, anthrocyanidins and resveratrol.
Resveratrol, in particular, has been demonstrated to be a potent anti-oxidant (about 20-50 times as effectively as vitamin C alone) and act synergistically with vitamin C enhancing the effects of each.
The effects are far and wide and some of them are
* Reduced risk of death from nearly all causes: European researchers suggest that moderate daily intake of red wine (1-2 glasses) has a protective effect on all-cause mortality. According to studies from France, UK, Finland and Denmark, moderate consumption of wine is more beneficial than that of beer or spirits. So say cheers to a glass
* Smoking: Acute smoking significantly impairs vessels' natural ability to relax, or vasodilate. Red wine, with or without alcohol, decreases the harmful effect of smoking on the endothelium - layer of cells that provide a friction-reducing lining in lymph vessels, blood vessels, and the heart.
* Heart disease: One of the well-known and most studied benefits of red wine is its heart protective effect. Moderate consumption of red wine on a regular basis may be a preventative against coronary heart disease. Scientists believe the red wine reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol.
* Blood clots: Red wine produces anticlotting, or antithrombotic, action. Light to moderate consumers of wine have lower levels of protein fibrinogen which promotes blood clot formation.
* Atherosclerosis: Red wine may prevent the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis (hardening or "furring" of the arteries). Atherosclerosis starts when blood vessels begin to lose their ability to relax. Both the alcohol and polyphenols in the red wine appear to favorably maintain healthy blood vessels by promoting the formation of nitric oxide (NO), the key chemical relaxing factor that plays an important role in the regulation of vascular tone.
* Hypertension: Excessive alcohol consumption is generally considered a risk factor for hypertension. However, there is some evidence of favorable effects of red wine on blood pressure. Two glasses of red wine (250 ml), taken together with the meal, lower post-meal blood pressure in hypertensive persons.
* Kidney stones: Red wine intake reduces the risk of kidney stone formation.
* Alzheimer's disease: Moderate wine drinking correlates with a lower risk for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found that resveratrol, a red wine polyphenol, produces neuroprotective effects.
FOR Teetotaler
To get the health benefits of red wine without the negative impact of alcohol, you can purchase resveratrol and mixed red wine polyphenols in capsules. One capsule of red wine polyphenols is approximately equal to the polyphenol content of one bottle of wine. Resveratrol is the isolaed component that is recognized as the source of the known health benefits of red wine. One to two capsules per day is the recommended dosage. WHOLE GRAPE EXTRACT is the way to go.
May the Qua be with You!