Red Wine or White Wine?

Does it matter if it's red wine or white wine?

Question: Does it matter if it's red wine or white wine?

They say that drinking a glass of wine a few nights a week will increase your HDL. Does it matter if it's red wine or white wine?

Peggie - About.com User

Answer: Drinking either red wine or white wine will increase the HDL, or good, cholesterol. However, red wine contains much higher levels of powerful phenolic antioxidants than white wine does. These phenolic antioxidants found in red wine will help to keep your LDL, or bad, cholesterol levels healthy and will also help to reduce the blood clotting ability of the blood. Both of these actions will help to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

On the down side, drinking either red or white wine may increase homocysteine levels, which is not good, however increasing intake of vitamin B6 may counteract that effect.

Remember that while one glass of wine per day may be good for you, it is not a case of more is better. Heavy drinking of any kind of alcoholic beverages will increase your risk of several chronic diseases.

_Sources:

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_{Rifici VA, Stephan EM, Schneider SH, Khachadurian AK. "Red wine inhibits the cell-mediated oxidation of LDL and HDL." J Am Coll Nutr. 1999 Apr;18(2):137-43.}

_{Tsang C, Higgins S, Duthie GG, Duthie SJ, Howie M, Mullen W, Lean ME, Crozier A. "The influence of moderate red wine consumption on antioxidant status and indices of oxidative stress associated with CHD in healthy volunteers." Br J Nutr. 2005 Feb;93(2):233-40.}

_{Pignatelli P, Ghiselli A, Buchetti B, Carnevale R, Natella F, Germano G, Fimognari F, Di Santo S, Lenti L, Violi F. "Polyphenols synergistically inhibit oxidative stress in subjects given red and white wine." Atherosclerosis. 2006 Sep;188(1):77-83. Epub 2005 Nov 23.}

_{van der Gaag MS, Ubbink JB, Sillanaukee P, Nikkari S, Hendriks HF. "Effect of consumption of red wine, spirits, and beer on serum homocysteine." Lancet. 2000 Apr 29;355(9214):1522.}

Shereen Jegtvig, About.com