Wine and Exercise: an Unlikely Combo For a Healthy Heart

September 8 2014

Wine and Exercise: an Unlikely Combo For a Healthy Heart

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death among men and women, taking the lives of nearly half a million people annually in the U.S. alone. It’s no secret that regular exercise can help strengthen the heart and protect against cardiovascular disease, but a new study suggests that wine — when consumed in moderation — may also play a role in protecting against heart disease.

Several of the world’s most esteemed cardiologists and heart health experts presented their findings to European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona, Spain, suggesting that wine and exercise can offer a powerful and effective method for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Of course, this isn’t the first time experts have made a connection between wine consumption and hearth health. Several previous studies have found that people who drank moderate amounts of red wine experience lower rates of heart disease. What makes this study different, however, is that it involves both red and white wine varieties.

For the study, researchers examined some 146 participants with either mild to moderate risk for cardiovascular disease. Participants were asked to consume either red wine or white wine daily for a year. At the end of the study, researchers discovered that participants who drank white wine experienced lower levels of LDL cholesterol, whereas participants who drank red wine experienced lower levels of LDL and HDL cholesterol.

Why is this important? Well, this study actually suggests that white wine is more beneficial to heart health than red wine. According to the study, participants who drank red wine experienced lower levels of LDL (bad cholesterol) and HDL (good cholesterol). High HDL cholesterol is known to promote a healthy heart by reducing the risk of stroke, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular conditions.

“We found that moderate wine drinking was only protective in people who exercised. Red and white wine produced the same results. A rise in HDL cholesterol is the main indication of a protective effect against CVD. Therefore, we can conclude that neither red or white wine had any impact on the participants as a whole,” said professor Milos Taborsky at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2014 in Barcelona, Spain.

“Combination of moderate wine drinking plus regular exercise improves markers of atherosclerosis, suggesting that this combination is protective against cardio-vascular disease,” he added.

Wine glass photo by Steve Jurvetsone via Flickr Creative Commons.