Scientists also have found that some of the plant chemicals in wine provide protection from disease. Bending the elbow at the dinner table may be part of the reason that people in Mediterranean countries can eat rich foods and still have low rates of heart disease. Ethanol raises the levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which helps to keep your arteries from filling up with plaque and, therefore, reduces your risk of heart disease. Dr. Gaziano's research shows that you get the same protective effects from wine, beer, and liquor. Alcohol may help your circulatory system in other ways, too.
Some data suggest that it reduces the blood's tendency to clot.
And it may help keep the blood vessels more flexible. Furthermore, it's possible that a drink a day relieves stress. All of this could lead to lower risks of heart attack and possibly stroke. Wine is rich in a group of phytochemicals called flavonoids , which also protect against cancer and prevent LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Both red and white wines blocked LDL formation by 46 percent to 100 percent, but three times as much white wine was needed for the effect.