Move over red wine – white can be healthy too!

We all keep hearing about the heath benefits of drinking red wine in moderation. But what about white? The results of two new studies will be music to the ears of those who love things a little colder and sweeter.

Two separate studies have given us a whole new reason to appreciate the white nectar of the gods:

The first study, cheekily titled In Vino Veritas (In Wine Truth) followed a group of subjects who drank either pinot noir or a white chardonnay for a year.

According to The Washington Post, the subjects who worked out and drank either kind of wine had significantly improved cholesterol levels.

In the second study, subjects with Type 2 diabetes were given 150 mL of either white wine, red wine or mineral water with dinner every day for a two-year period. They were asked to eat a Mediterranean-style diet using mostly plant-based foods and replacing butter with olive oil but there was no restriction on how many calories they could consume.

The researchers found drinking a glass of red wine but not white wine every day resulted in improved cardiac health and cholesterol management. However, both red and wine seemed to improve glucose control in some patients. 

The results suggest that a moderate wine intake (especially red wine) can be part of a safe and health diet among well-controlled diabetics, and can even decrease cardio-metabolic risk.

But before you rush out to top up your wine supplies, there’s a third study that needs to be factored into the equation and holds some bad news for those who drink any form of alcohol.

The Washington Post reports that 4466 people between the ages of 71 and 81 found that even a limited alcohol intake – two or more servings a day for men, and just one or more for women – was associated with subtle alterations in cardiac structure and function.

The men who were affected experienced enlarged left ventricle walls while the women saw a small reduction in heart function.

Are you a red wine drinker, or more a fan of white? Are there any benefits you have noticed from drinking either – apart from seeing the world through rose-coloured glasses, of course!