Submitted by Lynn Perkes
We continue to read about the beneficial effects of alcohol on heart disease. Several epidemiological studies have documented the reduced incidence of heart disease and heart attack among individuals who consume one to two drinks of wine a day. Most of the credit seems to be given to alcohol’s ability to raise blood levels of HDL cholesterol. This is the "good" cholesterol that can help remove LDL or "bad" cholesterol (cholesterol that builds up in the walls of arteries when excessive amounts are present in the blood) from the blood and transport it to the liver for reprocessing or excretion. However, there is an emerging debate about what really is in the alcoholic beverages that is providing the protective benefits. Is it indeed the alcohol or is it something else, for example flavonoids – plant chemicals that have been shown to provide several physiological functions that work to protect the arteries from disease.
Blood platelets are known to contribute to the development of heart disease and heart attack. Aspirin, recognized for its usefulness in helping to prevent and treat heart disease and heart attack, has been shown to "turn down" platelet activity and make them less likely to form clots. Red wine also has shown this antiplatelet ability at a level of one to two glasses a day, but white wine takes considerably more to produce even weaker effects. It’s interesting to note that red wine contains many types of flavonoids while white wine contains few flavonoids, though they both contain approximately the same amount of alcohol.
It’s also known that if LDL cholesterol becomes oxidized it is more likely to become trapped in the walls of arteries leading to the formation of plaque buildup, narrowing the opening of the artery. Antioxidants are substances that prevent oxidation, including the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. Red wine, but not white wine, contains flavonoids that have proven to be very potent antioxidants.
Recent research, conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, tested 100% purple grape juice (which contains many of the same flavonoids as red wine) in the same animal and human models as wine and found similar cardiovascular protection properties as red wine, but without the alcohol. Maybe this is what the Lord meant when he stated in the 6th verse of the 89th section of the Doctrine and Covenants that our wine should be "pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make." Or in other words, pure grape juice without fermentation, which may be considered as a "spoilage of the juice" and a "loss of purity". Some juice for thought.