Wine is Good for you! It boosts the immune system; fights the flu and cures sore throats too!...It protects you!

Whoever thought we would have and Outbreak; much less an Outbreak that would force us to be in hideaway. But here we are and 2020 is going to be interesting. While we practice 'safe at home' and 'stay at home'. It's probably a good time to be with a close knit group and try to enjoy things as much as possible; have some of your favorite food and wine as we work our way through this Coronavirus(Corvid-19).

Did you know wine protects you? No Seriously...

Wine keeps you healthy and prevent you from getting sick. It's just the kind of news we need these days. Especially in these times with the Coronavirus (Corvid-19) and practicing Social Distancing and Self Quarantining.

New research reveals that high concentrations of resveratrol — a compound that is found in red wine — can stop poxviruses from multiplying in human cells. It boosts the immune system; plus fights influenza and it cures sore throats.

Researchers working at Kansas State University in Manhattan as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tested various concentrations of resveratrol in human cells infected with the vaccinia virus.

This is a close relative of the virus that causes smallpox and it also formed the vaccine that eradicated the deadly human disease. Their study showed that resveratrol stops vaccinia virus from replicating its DNA and genome.

Why is this important?

Wine protects you. At high concentrations, resveratrol stopped vaccinia from multiplying itself in the early phase of infection, thereby preventing the virus from spreading to other cells.

There has been news in the past that drinking wine can help a lot things. It can maintain heart health, prevent cancer and even settle a mean case of diarrhea. Research even now shows it’s also good for your throat. According to a new study, a cocktail of compounds found in both red and white wine fights germs that can cause sore throats.

“Exposure to wine had a persistent antibacterial effect,” the authors wrote in their study, detailed in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Prior to their research, the authors said the effects of wine against germs found in the mouth hadn’t been studied.

After isolating the compounds from wine, which included lactic, malic, succinic and tartaric acids, the researchers neutralized their acidity. They then showed that the isolated antibacterial compounds were more successful than wine alone at killing 99.9 percent of the sore throat bacteria, even when used in far lower concentrations than found in wine.

Furthermore, drinking wine may help prevent influenza, as a compound found in these beverages can boost the immune system, scientists say.

Researchers at Washington University in the US found that a particular gut microbe can prevent severe flu infections in mice, by breaking down naturally occurring compounds called flavonoids.

This strategy is effective in staving off severe damage from flu when the interaction occurs prior to infection with the influenza virus, researchers said.

Microbes that live in the gut do not just digest food. They also have far-reaching effects on the immune system, they said. "For years, flavonoids have been thought to have protective properties that help regulate the immune system to fight infections," said Ashley Steed, from St Louis Children's Hospital in the US.

"Flavonoids are common in our diets, so an important implication of our study is that it is possible Flavonoids work with gut microbes to protect us from flu and other viral infections," Steed said.

Flavonoids are commonly in red wine. It can be French Wine, California Wines, Canadian Wines, Wines from Spain even Champagne! Any wine!

It's really encouraging to know...

The previous studies found that the gut microorganisms in our bodies may be important in protecting against viruses and severe influenza infections, so in this study, researchers aimed to identify just what gut microbes might provide that protection. "This prevented influenza-related lung damage in the mice. It is this kind of damage that often causes significant complications such as pneumonia in people," 

Interestingly, red wines have stronger bacteria-fighting effects than white wine, although not by much. Curiously, the acidity and alcohol isn’t responsible for wine’s germ-fighting properties—instead, it’s a collection of organic (carbon-containing) compounds found in the drink. How about that?

So, have some wine and know that it is really is good for you in more ways that you could have thought! 

Take care