Apart from the usual occasional drinking to catch up with a friend, did you know that red wine (12%-15% alcohol content) when taken in moderation has health benefits too?

For the avoidance of doubt drinking in moderation means taking one or two servings of 150 milliliters per day

Disclaimer: This is for you that does not have a history of drinking disorders or a pre-existing medical condition.

Apart from bottled drinking, wine can also be incorporated into cooking.

The Italians and French lead relatively long lives and this has been attributed to their religious consumption of red wine.

Red wine is packed with nutritional benefits:

1)Red wine is heart-healthy. Anti-oxidants called flavonoids contained in red wine help to ward off a coronary-artery disease that is the leading cause of heart attack.

Some scientific reports show that the beneficial component of red wine is not necessarily the alcohol content but the natural compounds that are usually in the skin of the grapes.

Red wine contains a component called Resveratrol. It also comes from the grapes used in the wine-making process. Resveratrol lowers the risk of inflammation and blood clotting.

2) Lowering bad cholesterol-resveratrol in red wine can lower the bad cholesterol. Wine experts advise that you take red meat with red wine. When coupled together the red wine inhibits the production of harmful compounds from the meat.

3)Regulates blood sugar for diabetic people as well as high blood pressure.

4)Helps the digestive system-red wine is known to clean the digestive system of bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori among other anomalies in the stomach.

5)Red wine promotes healthy teeth development-polyphenols in the red wine prevent gum disease and inflammation of gums. Red wine also hardens the tooth enamel.

6)Alleviate stress- red wine helps reduce stress by inducing better sleep at night. Red wine also decreases the risk of depression.

7)Good for the skin-the antioxidant properties in red wine are all you need to keep fine wrinkles at bay hence revealing your youthful glow.

8)Red wine wards off the common cold due to the presence of antioxidants. The free radicals that cause the common cold and cancer are expelled.

9)Brain stimulant-Wine relaxes your mind helping you think more clearly and creatively. Little wonder why brainstorm meetings are quite productive.