It has been scientifically researched: red wine lowers the chance of a COVID infection
What if a glass of red wine isn’t just delicious, but also helps fight a cold and is the ultimate way to reduce the chance of a coronavirus infection? According to recent research, that really does seem to be the case. I don’t know about you, but I’m pouring myself another glass.
The research behind these results was conducted by a group of researchers in China from Shenzhen Kangning Hospital. They wondered whether there was a link between drinking alcohol and the number of people who become infected with or die from coronavirus. The group gained access to data from the U.K. Biobank Study and analyzed health data from nearly 500,000 residents of the United Kingdom.
Wine is fine, beer is severe
And what did they find? The researchers discovered that when it comes to deaths, it makes hardly any difference whether you have the occasional glass or go through life completely dry. But when it came to contracting a COVID infection, the figures were remarkable. The researchers found that people who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day had a 10 to 17 percent lower risk of contracting COVID than non-drinkers.
People who drank red wine were in the group with the lowest infection rates, while the unlucky ones who became infected were found among beer and cider drinkers and people who drank more than 5 glasses of spirits per week.
The benefits
And although this conclusion may sound like music to some people’s ears, there are a few caveats: the U.K. Biobank focuses on people aged 49 and over. And the data on drinking habits was collected before the pandemic—changes in drinking habits during the pandemic were not recorded.
But, the researchers say, the results are not entirely illogical. Red wine has properties that can, among other things, lower blood pressure and reduce inflammation, and red wine activates certain proteins that prevent cell death. Enough benefits for me to open a bottle of red wine. Cheers!
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Source: Wine Spectator
