A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away. Could this be true? WebMD talks to experts to learn how we can get the health benefits of wine or alcohol while keeping our weight in check. Do Like the French? The French diet is often used as an example of how wine can improve heart health. The French have a fairly high-fat diet but their heart disease risk is relatively low. And some have attributed this to red wine. But there are so many differences between the lifestyle of the French and Americans from their activity levels to the foods they eat. You cannot isolate red wine as the magic bullet for disease prevention says Alice Lichtenstein, DrS, Gershoff Professor at Tufts University. Choose whichever alcoholic beverage you enjoy, drink it in moderation and try to have it with meals, advise Lichtenstein and Eric Rimm, DrS, a Harvard researcher. Arthur Agatston, MD, cardiologist and creator of the popular South Beach diet, encourages patients who enjoy alcohol to also drink it with meals.

"Alcohol can stimulate the appetite so it is better to drink it with food. When alcohol is mixed with food, it can slow the stomach's emptying time and potentially decrease the amount of food consumed at the meal," asserts Agatston. buy wine smart phoneHis alcohol of choice is red wine due to the antioxidant resveratrol. best food for wine tasting partyHowever, he agrees that any alcohol in limited quantity will provide the same health benefit.best white wine not dry There is a misperception that red wine is abundant in antioxidants. best drink to mix with wine"It does contain some, but they are not always well absorbed. top 10 wine producing states

If you want antioxidants, you are better off eating a spinach salad with vegetables than drinking a glass of red wine," Rimm tells WebMD. Alcohol also can have a very powerful effect and increase HDL "good" cholesterol by 20% if used moderately and in the context of a healthy diet along with regular physical activity, says Rimm. top 10 washington red winesHigher HDL levels are linked to lower risks of heart disease.top five wine countries "The research evidence points to ethanol, or the alcohol component, of beer, wine, or spirits as the substrate that can help lower cholesterol levels, increase 'good' HDL cholesterol," he says.good wine for mac n cheese A recent study shows a boost in brain power for women who enjoy a little alcohol. top five wine countries

The study, published in the Jan. 20 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, evaluated more than 12,000 women aged 70-81. Moderate drinkers scored better than teetotalers on tests of mental function. Researchers found a boost in brainpower with one drink a day. Moderate drinkers had a 23% reduced risk of mental decline compared with nondrinkers. With Alcohol, Moderation Is Key: Easy Does It Just as you shouldn't eat a 12-ounce steak daily, you need to watch your portion sizes of alcohol as well. What is one drink? 5 ounces of wine 12 ounces of beer 1.5 ounces of 80-proof distilled spirits, such as vodka The 2005 Dietary Guidelines 2005 Dietary Guidelines recommend one drink a day for women and two a day for men. This doesn't mean to can save them up for a weekend party and expect to get the same benefits. Will a Drink a Day Make You Fat? A drink a day may help keep your brain sharp and heart healthy but what about the calories? Alcohol supplies calories with few essential nutrients.

If you drink alcohol, it needs to be budgeted into "discretionary calories" to maintain a healthy weight according to the 2005 dietary guidelines. "Most Americans are sedentary, putting them into the lower calorie levels, leaving little room for alcohol, sweets, and extra fats," states Theresa Nicklas, DrPH, a member of the dietary guidelines advisory committee. It is more important and healthful to select foods packed with nutrients, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than alcohol when calories are limited. The health benefits of moderate alcohol do not outweigh the risks of being overweight or obese, says Nicklas. An individual on an 1,800-calorie level eating plan only has 195 discretionary calories or the equivalent of a 9-ounce glass of wine or a small dessert. If you want dessert along with your daily allotment of alcohol, you need to increase physical activity to balance your calories to achieve a healthy weight, according to Nicklas. A little may be good but too much alcohol can lead to serious problems.

No one should start drinking if they don't already drink, advise Lichtenstein and Agatston. It is well known that alcohol can lead to numerous health problems for many individuals, such as pregnant women and women at high risk for breast cancer (alcohol raises the risk of breast cancer). Individuals with family histories of alcohol abuse should also not drink, says Lichtenstein. To gain the benefits of good health, do your part to enjoy your one to two drinks per day at mealtime and follow the advice of the dietary guidelines for food, fitness, and weight management.New research into how wine can affect us has revealed that drinking up to six alcoholic drinks a week will not increase your risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. The study, from Harvard University, contradicts tough new drinking guidelines from chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, who recently said drinking "any level of alcohol regularly carries a health risk." The Harvard researchers found that while drinking alcohol is linked with a higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke, the danger wears off after 24 hour for people who only drink a glass or two.

After the 24 hours have passed, the moderate alcohol intake can improve blood flow, blood vessels' lining function and reduce clotting. Dr Elizabeth Mostofsky, of Harvard University, said: "Just after drinking, blood pressure rises and blood platelets become stickier, increasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. "However, regularly drinking small amounts of alcohol in the long term appears to both increase levels of HDL cholesterol (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol), the so-called good cholesterol, and reduce blood clots. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation." This study comes not long after research from Washington State University found that an ingredient in red wine, called 'resveratrol', could help turn flab into calorie-burning 'brown' fat. With experts divided on whether or not alcohol can be considered healthy, we take a closer look at the arguments for and against regular consumption of wine. As well as the recent study from Washington State University, in 2012 researchers in Korea found that another compound found in red grapes called 'piceatannol' has the ability to block the processes that cause fat cells to grow.

Additionally, a 2014 study from the University of Hohenheim in Germany found that people who are looking to lose weight may find it easier by drinking white wine. A diet with 10 per cent energy of energy coming from white wine was found to be just as effective in weight loss as a diet with 10 per cent of energy coming from fruit juices. Scientists have revealed that 'resveratrol' may also help to prevent head and neck cancer. Researchers found that the compound has the potential to kill the damaged cells that can lead to certain cancers. The best red wines to drink in spring If you have a bed bug problem, drinking a glass of red wine before bed could be the solution. Research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, found that bed bugs prefer blood that isn't tainted by alcohol. Using rats, researchers at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine found that reseveratrol helped prevent age-related memory decline. Once the rats who had been treated with resveratrol were two years old, they had improved learning, memory and mood function.

Help you live longer Scientists have found that resveratrol suppresses molecules that cause inflammation and compounds in the blood which interfere with the production of insulin, thus helping us to live longer and healthier lives. The researchers, from the University of Buffalo, also found resveratrol reduced the development of type 2 diabetes and strokes. • Browse our range of over 400 reds at Telegraph Wine from Waitrose Though resveratrol does help to slow down the ageing process, if taken in high doses it can have the opposite effect. Researchers at the Manchester Metropolitan University said: "We analysed if resveratrol was able to promote the repair of muscle and reduce oxidative stress where free radicals - destructive molecules - speed up the ageing process. "At low doses, resveratrol did help the regeneration. However, if the dose is higher, it doesn't mitigate ageing from oxidative stress and even hampers the repair cycle." Increase the chance of certain cancers

Despite some research suggesting that drinking red wine could prevent certain cancers, a study published in Alcohol and Alcoholism found that drinking wine could increase the risk for breast cancer. Scientists have warned that to experience the potential health benefits of resveratrol, you would need to drink an entire case of red wine each day, which could lead to alcoholism. Research has suggested that too much white wine could lead to weight gain as the calories pile up without actually making you feel full. Drink Aware warn that "calories from alcohol are 'empty calories' and have no nutritional value. Most alcoholic drinks contain traces of vitamins and minerals, but not usually in amounts that make any significant contribution to our diet." As well not contributing to our overall health, research has found that alcohol could be contributing to weight gain. Drink Aware says "alcohol reduces the amount of fat your body burns for energy. While we can store nutrients, protein, carbohydrates, and fat in our bodies, we can't store alcohol.