White wine ‘has same health benefits as red’

White wine may have some the same health benefits as red wine, two major studies have found.

The health benefits of moderate white wine drinking are slowly beginning to be recognised in scientific studies

Two separate randomised studies – one focused on cardiac health and the other on diabetes – found that white wine was just as effective as red wine in regulating cholesterol and glucose levels, respectively.

Drinking red wine in moderation is frequently cited as having a broad range of health benefits, including the prevention of dementia and cancer, as well having anti-inflammatory properties.

The antioxidant benefits of red wine have long been thought to account for the ‘French paradox’ – the correlation of high saturated fat diets and low incidence of heart disease among French people.

Relatively little research has been conducted on the health-giving properties of white wine, however two recent studies suggest that white wine could have certain health benefits similar to those of red, according to The Washington Post.

The first study cited, In Vino Veritas, which was presented to the European Society of Cardiology, tracked 146 subjects over 12 months. Half of the subjects drank Pinot Noir and half drank a white Chardonnay-Pinot blend. All of the subjects worked out twice a week.

The study found no discernible difference between the health benefits of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in terms of cholesterol regulation. Indeed, consumption of both of those wines led to “significant improvement in cholesterol levels”, researchers reported.

The second study, Moderate Wine Intake in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, published this week in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found similar results in Type 2 diabetes patients.

The 224 subjects in this study were randomly assigned to drink red wine, white wine or mineral water (the experiment’s control drink) with dinner over two years. The subjects were also instructed to adhere to a Mediterranean diet with no calorie restrictions.

The study found no significant difference between red and white wine’s effects on glucose regulation in the diabetic patients. Both red and white wines helped regulate glucose levels.

Studies have shown that white wine has many of the same protective plant flavonoids as red wine and there is also evidence that it could have even more antioxidants than red wine, yet the health benefits of white wine are consistently overshadowed by those of red wine.