Is red wine beneficial for health or a potent poison? In the old times Plato said that "nothing more excellent or valuable than wine was ever granted by the Gods to man." Nowadays research suggests that a glass of red wine each day may be providing you with more than just a little relaxation.

The French seem to know something about the health benefits of red wine considering that studies that compared French and German red wines, revealed that the French red wines delivered a greater health benefit due to their higher level of antioxidants. Experts believe that red wine contains certain compounds that help protect the heart. This has opened the door for other researchers to study the components in red wine that may be responsible for its health benefits.

In the last 10 years, thousands of research on red wine showed that moderate intake of this drink improves cardiovascular health. The cardio protective effect has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes.

Based on the research experts advise that the antioxidants, called flavonoids, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in three ways: by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (the "bad" cholesterol), by boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) and by reducing blood clotting.

Furthermore researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart. One study found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is prevalent in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumour development in some cancers. Another study indicated that resveratrol aided in the formation of nerve cells, which experts believe may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

The most recent studies on red wine presented at the American Association for Dental Research (AADR) annual meeting, in Orlando, Florida by the Canadians show that Red wine polyphenols may help fight gum disease. V. Houde, M. Boisvert and their colleagues from University Laval in Canada investigated the role of polyphenols, including those from red wine, in scavenging free radicals released by immune cells stimulated with components of bacteria causing periodontal diseases. Free radicals are believed to be at least partly responsible for the development of gum disease and are generated by immune cells during periodontitis. In order to have healthy gums it is important to that free radicals are maintained at low levels. Their results indicated that red wine polyphenols significantly modulate several inflammatory components released by macrophages (a population of host immune cells) in response to bacterial stimuli.