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The Role of Wine in Diet and Health |
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The digestive system: wine can facilitate
digestion by increasing the secretion of gastric
juices, stimulated mainly by ethyl alcohol and
tartaric acid. Lactic acid has an antiseptic and
slightly laxative effect on the intestine.
The liver: the sugars in wine, in particular
glucose, stimulate the function of the liver.
Glycerine favours the secretion of bile.
The kidneys: diuretic functions are aided by
ethyl alcohol and acid salts, notably potassium
bitartrate, contained in wine.
The lungs: the respiratory system is
stimulated by the ethyl alcohol in wine which
increases the rate of oxygenation.
Dry wine in small doses is sometimes recommended to
diabetics as a means of building glucose tolerance.
It is known to stimulate the appetite of underweight
persons. Lt is a useful source of energy. (In modem
dietary science the sugars and alcohol contained in
wine are defined as a thermodymogenic foods). Wine
can also have pleasant effects 011 our emotional and
psychological states, helping people to overcome
shyness, anxiety and depression. In social settings
it stimulates the intellect and the desire to
communicate.
Excessive use of alcohol on the other hand
diminishes or reverses the benefits of moderate wine
drinking. The danger of alcohol abuse are well known
and widely discussed, as they should be in a
reasonable modem society. But recent emphasis on the
negative issues in some countries has unjustifiably
obscured the value of wine as a part of a healthy
diet.
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