Red Wine May Protect Your Teeth

woman pouring red wine smiling with teeth

Experts and researchers have spent plenty of time studying the health benefits of wine, especially red wine. Many have concluded that moderate consumption leads to improved mental health, enhanced heart health, helps people live longer, and even helps protect against certain cancers (among other interesting health benefits). Recently, evidence suggests red wine may also be good for your oral health.

Drink for Good Health

Red wine has been shown to benefit the human body, provided people drink in moderate amounts. Here are just a few of its proven advantages:

  • Fertility: A study at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri found that women who drink a moderate amount of vino on a regular basis (about five glasses per month of red wine) are more fertile compared to women who don’t. This is mostly due to an antioxidant called resveratrol, a component found in blueberries, cocoa, and of course, red grapes, one of red wine’s key ingredients.
  • Acne treatment: Resveratrol is also anti-inflammatory, which could help treat acne if applied to the skin in combination with benzoyl peroxide. Drinking the red wine does not necessarily have the same effect, however.
  • Raising omega-3 levels: Red wine boosts levels of omega-3 fatty acids, which help protect against heart disease.
  • Cardiovascular health: A 2016 research shows resveratrol also helps reduce heart disease risk. A separate study found that a glass of red wine at dinner helps decrease cardiometabolic risk for people with type-2 diabetes, as the ethanol helps metabolize glucose.
  • Healthy blood pressure: A 2006 study in the United Kingdom found how procyanidins in red wine help keep blood vessels healthy. Another 2012 study indicates that a non-alcoholic version of red wine may also reduce blood pressure.
  • Prevention of dementia: A Loyola University Medical Center team of researchers found how moderate red wine consumption reduces the risk of developing dementia due to resveratrol reducing the stickiness of blood platelets. A separate 2015 study concluded how high doses of resveratrol helps stabilize a main biomarker for Alzheimer’s.
  • Prevention of certain cancers: Many studies from all over the world have concentrated on red wine’s prevention of colon cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, and lung cancer.

Red Wine = Great Teeth + Oral Health?

Perhaps one of the most interesting benefits of drinking red wine is that it actually helps with various aspects of oral health.

  • Preventing dental cavities: A 2014 research titled “Red Wine and Oenological Extracts Display Antimicrobial Effects in an Oral Bacteria Biofilm Model” published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (ACS) found how red wine helps prevent dental cavities, as it gets rid of bacteria.
  • Preventing gum disease: A 2018 study titled “Inhibition of Oral Pathogens Adhesion to Human Gingival Fibroblasts by Wine Polyphenols Alone and in Combination with an Oral Probiotic” published also in ACS showed that while there is limited use of probiotics in oral health, polyphenols and probiotic strains help promote colonic metabolism.

In the 2014 ACS study, M. Victoria Moreno and team grew bacteria cultures of those responsible for dental diseases into a biofilm. They then dipped the biofilms in different liquids such as red wine, nonalcoholic red wine, red wine with grape seed extract, and then water and 12% ethanol as their control/comparison models. All the red wine samples were exceptionally effective in combating the bacteria.

In the 2018 ACS study, Arribas and the team of researchers zoomed in on the effect of two red wine polyphenols – caffeic and p-coumaric acids. They even checked the levels found in grape seed and red wine extracts on bacteria known to stick to both the teeth and gums, subsequently causing issues like cavities, dental plaque, and periodontal disease. The two polyphenols, when combined with Streptococcus dentisani, an oral probiotic, prevented the pathogenic bacteria from growing and propagating.

Study after study proves that moderate red wine consumption has many health benefits and now oral health can be added to the list. Cheers to that!

About the Author

Dawna is a mom of two young kids, puppy lover, ice cream lover, chocolate lover, and lover of any ice cream with chunks of chocolate in it. She is the author of seven books, a business owner, certified health coach, motivational speaker, and creator of the 5-Day Detox and the 14-Day Clean-Eating Program. Dawna appears regularly on local and national television. She has appeared on the Today show, Martha, MSNBC, HSN, and morning news programs on NBC, CBS, ABC, and Fox. Dawna is a highly sought-after speaker and has done speaking engagements for Chobani, Disney, American Heart Association, Mass Mutual, Wharton Business School, Women’s Entertainment Television, PGA Tour, Super Bowl Leadership Forum, Susan G. Komen, and many more.
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