With all the products in the cosmetics industry, the secret to younger-looking skin may be all along in a bottle of red wine. Experts found that red wine is good for the skin, whether as a drink or as an ingredient in a skincare product.
Research reveals that drinking a glass of organic red wine can give you clearer and glowing skin. All thanks to its high level of antioxidant content that helps protect your skin against the damage caused by free radicals, resulting in fewer wrinkles and fine lines.
Red wine on skincare
Red wine as an ingredient in a skincare product? Yes, it is! In fact, it has become the talk of the town! Many skincare manufacturers have discovered the skin-enhancing properties of red wine and decided to add it to their formula, particularly in lipsticks, hair masks and bar soaps. Not just that, according to studies, drinking red wine helps slim down the body’s waistline [1] and increase the longevity of the life span [2] – what a perfect addition to your skincare regimen!
One glass of red wine a day, especially organic dry red wine, is found to enhance skin elasticity. There are skincare brands that produce different serums, creams and facial cleansers that are made from organic matter acquired from pressed grapes to get their antioxidants. Among the good types of red wines, Oregon pinot noirs are found to be the healthiest, with their high levels of antioxidants and low sugar content. Another important content of red wine is the polyphenols, specifically resveratrol, which can be taken from grape seeds, skins and stems [3].
Drinking red wine on a regular basis is found to be helpful in lessening actinic keratoses or precancerous skin lesions. It is also good for minimising facial pores, removing acne and preventing potential breakouts because of its anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties.
Furthermore, the polyphenol content of red wine can help turn a dark complexion and provide you with more radiant skin. Also, red wine is beneficial for extracting dead skin cells, causing your skin to glow and have a youthful look. Hence, red wine is considered to be an incredible anti-aging ingredient in many skincare products today, as it can ultimately transform your skin.
Aside from resveratrol, flavonoids and tannin are some other beneficial antioxidants in red wine. These two types of antioxidants can help in slowing down the aging process by preserving collagen and elastic fibres, resulting in reduced fine lines and wrinkles, especially on the face. With its unique skin function, red wine can provide a boost to sagging skin.
Different evidence-based studies on red wine and beauty
Experts suggest moderate drinking is the key to getting the good benefits of red wine. At least one glass of red wine a day for women and two glasses for men are recommended. This health advice comes from several studies proving that red wine can be beneficial to the skin with its antiaging properties.
In a research study conducted in Italy, the researchers found that wine extracts show remarkable antioxidant and anti-aging activity after they evaluated their anti-aging potential through the β-galactosidase colourimetric assay-basically a test for observing the activity of the experiment. The wine extracts were found to be helpful, particularly on cells that were exposed to a stressful environment. Thus, the researchers concluded that red wine has great potential for cosmetic products focused on skin regeneration [4].
The mentioned research is only one of the many studies proving the connection between red wine and beauty, specifically in anti-aging interventions. The mechanism is in the antioxidants found in red wine that fight damaging free radicals – a significant factor in aging and age-related diseases. It also includes polyphenols, a higher concentration of antioxidants, and resveratrol.
This is why the Mediterranean diet is highly associated with longer, healthier lives because it involves wine in every meal and, of course, a wide variety of essential foods, such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, seafood, yoghurt and olive oil. In the Mediterranean diet, drinking wine has become a lifestyle. However, excessive drinking of red wine may have negative effects on your skin and overall health. Hence, you must only drink the recommended amount to make your skin glow and live five years longer.
In comparison with white wine, red wine provides the most antioxidant content, so it is a better and healthier choice. In fact, a group of scientists from the University of Wisconsin at Madison recommend red wine with its great health benefits. Scientists have been studying the natural compound called resveratrol, which is found in some red wines. It could potentially help slow the aging process by aiding to protect tissues inside the body. And, the Wisconsin researchers believe that you don’t necessarily need to take as much red wine as many researchers had previously thought and suggested.
Additionally, scientists at Harvard Medical School who focused on studying the impact of resveratrol on mice found that mice with resveratrol became more agile and ran much more quickly than the other mice in the experiment. Therefore, resveratrol is deemed the one responsible for the anti-aging of red wine.
In previous research on animal studies, mice were administered to consume a lot of red wine, which is equivalent to around 100 bottles of wine a day. In the Wisconsin study, the scientists used much lower levels on their experimented mice and still derived positive results. They also added that it is essentially difficult to identify the precise number of glasses of wine, or bottles of wine, that is still beneficial to the body. Hence, one glass of red wine a day for women and two for men is still recommended [5].
Now, since drinking too much red wine can be bad for health because it is still an alcoholic beverage, scientists are finding a way to acquire the longevity substance from red wine – resveratrol – and formulate it into a pill.
To start with, David Sinclair of Harvard Medical School is one of them. He initially estimated that about 100 years from now, people would see anti-aging drugs around in a typical pharmaceutical store; however, with the recent studies on red wine, he becomes optimistic that it would be just in the next few years. Although this is quite a statement, the medical community is still sceptical. There are some other supplements in the market that claim to use resveratrol as the main ingredient, but the data proving the effectiveness of resveratrol in supplements is still minimal. The resveratrol supplements need more intense studies to prove the claim that they provide similar benefits as red wine.
Other benefits of drinking red wine
The colour of red wine comes from grape skin, which contains antioxidant properties. With its antioxidant content, red wine seems to be an elixir of energy and good health, aside from having youthful skin.
With powerful antioxidants, the strength of red wine extract can restore your mane and repair each hair shaft. Adding red wine to your hair care routine can surprisingly make your hair radiant and voluminous. It also prevents hair loss, minimises dandruff and stimulates blood circulation in the scalp.
When it comes to age-related diseases, red wine has some benefits to offer as well. Drinking red wine can significantly lower your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, diabetes and other diseases that are associated with aging. Many people assume that red wine can lower one’s cognitive function when one ages; however, it is the opposite. Regular wine drinkers are found to have a lower risk of developing memory decline.
In weight management, alcohol in moderation can generally lower cholesterol [6]. Many tests have shown that drinking one glass of red wine can be equivalent to an hour of exercise. Though the connection between drinking alcohol and lowered cholesterol level is complex, it is known that the polyphenol compounds of red wine may lower the bad form of cholesterol, LDL. Hence, moderate consumption of red wine is linked to healthy cholesterol levels.
The bottom line
People who can’t drink red wine should eat whole foods that are rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, like pomegranates and blueberries. Eating dark chocolates is also a good choice as it basically provides nearly similar health benefits as red wine. Both dark chocolate and red wine have been shown to help protect the skin from sun damage.
On the other side, overconsumption of red wine can negatively impact your overall health and wellness. A higher intake of red wine can dramatically increase your heart disease risk. Plus, a high intake of red wine can give you unnecessary calories, causing you to gain weight and leading to obesity. Having red wine in an excessive manner may also put you at a high risk of diabetes. It is also associated with liver damage, certain types of cancer, stroke and cardiomyopathy. Worse, it can increase your risk of death, which is the total opposite of what we are aiming for.
Nonetheless, red wine is a viable source of a long, healthy life. The key is always moderation.
[1] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21790610/
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25207479/
[3] https://www.forbes.com/sites/joemicallef/2021/04/15/why-pinot-noir-may-be-the-best-wine-for-your-health
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7913355/
[5] https://abcnews.go.com/Health/story
[6] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-disease/in-depth/red-wine/art
