• Red and white wine can be healthy.bottle wine and glasses with a wine image by mashe from Fotolia.com
  
  Scientists continue to find new health benefits linked to regular wine consumption. It appears that a glass or two of wine each day is the new apple-a-day program. Red wine and white wine have unique health benefits, and wine in general provides some overall health pluses.
  
  

Better Lung Function

• A 2002 University of Buffalo study showed regular consumption of white wine resulted in better lung health. Both lifetime wine drinkers and those just starting to drink white wine exhibited better results in a series of lung function tests. In this study, it was white wine in particular that gave the strongest benefits.
  
  

Lower Risk of Diabetes

• Women who drink one or two glasses of wine per day have a 40 percent lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A 10-year study by the University of Harvard revealed that drinking wine reduced the chance of developing insulin resistance compared to non-drinkers. A University of Amsterdam study gave similar results for wine drinkers of both sexes.
  
  

Have a Strong Heart

• Red wine contains a class of chemical compounds called polyphenols that are extremely beneficial to the heart. Polyphenols and other antioxidants in wine have been shown to increase the good HDL cholesterol, reduce blood clots, lower blood pressure and reduce plaque build up in arteries. A 16-year Harvard study shows regular wine drinkers are 30 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack than non-drinkers.
  
  

Health Digestive Tract

• Drinking wine is good for the stomach and colon. A British study shows wine drinking reduces the risk of food poisoning, gastritis, ulcers and stomach cancer. Another study shows that red wine reduces the risk of colon cancer by up to 45 percent.
  
  

Be Smarter

• Regular wine consumption has been proven to result in better memory results as we grow older. Brain function declines more rapidly in non-drinkers than in those who are moderate drinkers of wine.
  
  

See Better

• A study performed in Iceland revealed that wine drinkers are 32 percent less likely to develop cataracts than non-drinkers and 43 percent less likely than beer drinkers. In this case like others, the consumption if wine provides the health benefits compared to other types of alcoholic beverages.
  
  

Stay Slim

• Moderate wine drinkers have been shown to have less abdominal fat that drinkers of other types of alcoholic beverages. Wine also increases the body's calorie burn rate, increasing the metabolism level for up to 90 minutes after drinking a glass.