Remarkable Health Benefits from a Glass of Red Wine
A Bottle of Red
Like many of you, I like to drink a nice glass of wine with dinner from time to time. And when medical research uncovers remarkable health benefits from something I enjoy, I always like to pass that information on to my patients and readers. You've probably already heard that a glass of wine -- especially red wine -- comes with healthy benefits. Now, researchers have found yet another way that a little vino can improve health.
It turns out that just 8 ounces of red wine, even nonalcoholic varieties, can quickly decrease your blood pressure. For folks with heart disease, the effects are noticeable and can last up to 90 minutes after finishing a glass.
In a recent study [A1]scientists tested just how much red wine could help heart patients. They included 15 patients with coronary artery disease and monitored them for two days. Each patient received a glass of red wine, some glasses alcohol-free. No matter which type of wine the volunteers drank, it almost immediately improved their central systolic blood pressure reading. The effect lasted for an hour and a half afterward.
But maybe you don't like red wine. That doesn't mean you can't lower your blood pressure in a very safe, very simple way. All you have to do is learn to breathe.
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Slow Breathing Can Lower Your Blood Pressure
This might sound off the wall to you, but many of my patients just don't breathe properly. But even the smallest changes in your breathing habits can dramatically affect your overall health. In one recent study, for example, scientists discovered that slow, controlled breathing could knock several points off your blood pressure.
In this study, 46 volunteers participated in breathing exercises while scientists monitored their blood pressure. Twenty of those volunteers had hypertension, the medical word for high blood pressure. Their blood pressure was measured while they were breathing normally, and again while they practiced controlled breathing, taking either six or 15 breaths per minute (BPM).
For the hypertensive patients, the 15 BPM rate decreased their systolic blood pressure (the top number in your blood pressure measurement)[A2], but the 6 BPM rate lowered it even more -- by up to eight points. That super-slow, controlled breathing also decreased diastolic [A3]blood pressure (the bottom number) by about five points. All of this was achieved solely through breathing exercises: no medications, no dietary changes -- just slow, controlled breathing.
But whether you're breathing fast or slow, sometimes the air you take in can do harm. In fact, for some folks, breathing in bad air can lead them straight to the hospital.
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Air Pollution Can Increase Stroke Risk
No one likes air pollution, but most of us just shrug it off. But air quality is something we'd all be wise to pay more attention to -- especially those of us heading into our golden years. Older people can't handle polluted air as well as younger folks, and breathing too much of it can cause ischemic stroke, a sudden, permanent death of brain cells that occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain is blocked and oxygen cannot be delivered to the brain.
Some scientists believe that increases in air pollution particles are associated with a 1.03 percent higher stroke risk among people 65 and older. That risk increase is based on air testing both the day before and the day of the stroke.
These days, a lot of television news programs now include pollution levels along with the weather forecasts. Days with expected increases in air pollution particles are usually known as "bad air days."
On a bad air day, consider staying indoors as much as possible, especially if you're 65 or older. And while you're stuck inside, treat yourself to a nice glass of red wine!
Until next time,
Dr. Alan Inglis
House Calls
