Weighing the healthfulness of red vs. white wine

Red wine is widely believed to be a healthier choice than white wine, but this is based on limited data and speculative reports, according to experts quoted in a January 28, 2022 Wall Street Journal article.

Eric Rimm, professor in the Departments of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, who has studied alcohol and health for three decades, said in the article that many studies that seem to show a health benefit from red wine were of limited duration.

“There isn’t any conclusive science that says there is a true benefit of red wine over white,” Rimm said. While red wine contains more of a type of compound called polyphenols, which are believed to have health benefits for the heart, than white wine, Rimm noted that it contains less than dark chocolate or blueberries.

“Maybe the conversation shouldn’t be driven by health but by how it would make your food more flavorful,” he said. “What wine makes it taste better?”

Read the Wall Street Journal article: Is Red Wine Really Healthier Than White?

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Is Wine Fine, or Beer Better? (The Nutrition Source)