"Ask the Coach" is the column in which Wolfgang Unsöld answers your questions. The book of the same name was published by Riva Verlag and Available right here on Amazon.
Question: Hello Wolfgang, I have a nutritional question to which I have not yet found an answer: I have read/heard that the consumption of red wine - enjoyed in moderation - is considered to be beneficial to health due to the flavonoids it contains. Is that really the case? So far I have not received a conclusive answer either through internet research or through books. Would you recommend a client to consume a few fewer glasses a week Or have you perhaps already answered the question somewhere? So far I have not found a corresponding entry in your books. marius b
WU: Marius, that's a good question, and one that I get asked occasionally. I always go into the entire topic of alcohol as part of the Module 4 seminar . There are many myths about wine in particular.
Basically, wine is certainly the “healthiest” of all forms of alcohol. Not only because of the high content of flavonoids and also the antioxidant resveratrol.
Some of the benefits of drinking wine are:
Longer life - Among other things, a study of the Greek island of Ikaria, an area in which some of the oldest people in the world live, found that the regular consumption of wine is responsible for this. The same phenomenon has also been observed on the islands of Crete and Sardinia (1). Harvard University has also confirmed a positive, activating effect of the resveratrol contained in wine on the SIRT1 gene, which slows down cell aging and can therefore have a life-prolonging effect (2).
Improved Liver Function – A study by the UC San Diego Medical School found that regular consumption of wine – in this case one glass per day – has a positive effect on liver function and health (3).
Longer, better vision – A study by the George Washington University School of Medicine showed that drinking wine had a positive effect on reducing age-related visual impairment (4).
Whiter teeth - A study from Spain also showed that wine has a positive effect on bacteria and the biofilm around the mouth. This can potentially protect teeth from plaque and degeneration (5).
Improved blood sugar management – There are also numerous studies that have found wine to optimize blood sugar.
This is a little insight into the many benefits of wine. Of course, these advantages cannot be viewed in isolation. The context is crucial. In particular, three factors are decisive for my work.
1. The level of the individual goal - Is it possible to reduce your body fat percentage from 25% to 15% and drink a glass of wine regularly? Secure. Is it possible to reduce body fat from 15% to 5% and drink a glass of wine regularly? That's rather unlikely. The same applies to important competitions and phases with a high training volume. Of course, these two scenarios also correlate with the height of the target. And both is the ideal consumption of wine and alcohol, which I recommend at zero.
2. The amount of wine - most studies speak of moderate wine consumption. About a glass a day. Not one bottle in the evening. Or 5 bottles a week. But a glass in the evening. This equates to about one bottle per week. If fitness goals and a high quality of life are the goal, nothing speaks against this consumption.
3. The lifestyle – especially in studies on wine consumption, the other circumstances and the lifestyle of the subjects must of course also be considered. Among other things, it is a fact that a person's wine consumption is directly proportional to their income, which directly correlates to food quality, vacation days, exercise and other positive aspects of lifestyle. Wine as an isolated factor is certainly not the crucial component. As part of good food, leisure, sports, sun and relaxation, wine is one of the components that together have an effect on life expectancy and quality.
Another factor that is often underestimated is that white wine has almost identical positive properties to red wine(6).
In summary, my recommendation is to adjust the wine consumption at a given point in time to the level of the goals of the current point in time. And limit wine consumption to a few good glasses per week. In order to get the greatest pleasure and benefit from wine consumption without the disadvantages, among other things, due to the metabolism of alcohol becoming too great.
And if the goal is maximum fat loss and building muscle and strength, the motto is clear: no alcohol.
All the best with a good glass of wine at the right time!
Credits 1. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/28/magazine/the-island-where-people-forget-to-die.html 2. http://hms.harvard.edu/news/new-study-validates-longevity-pathway-3-7-13 3. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/108001.php 4. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/193101.php 5. http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf501768p 6. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/60729.phpImage: red wine.