Is Red Wine Good for You and Your Heart Health?

You may have heard that red wine is good for your heart health. Many people talk about the high amounts of antioxidants in red wine, and about how it increases levels of good cholesterol. But the research on these potential health benefits isn’t as conclusive as you might think.

Why do experts say red wine is good for you?

Experts became curious about whether red wine is good for you when researchers discovered that many French people had healthy hearts, despite eating diets high in saturated fat. The researchers called this phenomenon the “French paradox” and suggested that it could be due to the consumption of red wine. (Similarly, the Mediterranean diet — which includes red wine in moderation — is thought to be heart-healthy and is recommended by several associations, including the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology.)

As it turned out, further investigation showed that red wine is loaded with compounds called polyphenols. These compounds, which include resveratrol and quercetins, have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and are thought to be beneficial in several ways, including protecting against heart disease. Interestingly, dealcoholized red wine, which still has polyphenols, has also been shown to have the same beneficial qualities.

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Is red wine actually good for your heart?

Over the past several decades, a growing amount of data has shown a link between red wine consumption and a reduction in heart attacks and cardiovascular disease. 

Some observational studies — those that simply watch rather than intervene — have found a reduced risk of developing cardiovascular disease in people who drink low-to-moderate amounts of red wine when compared with people who don’t drink at all. However, consuming high amounts of red wine has not been linked to health benefits and has instead been shown to be harmful to health. 

Overall, though, the research in this area has had limitations. The studies, which have been susceptible to bias, have not shown a cause-and-effect relationship between drinking red wine and having better heart health. And they have not been able to control for other factors, like diet and other lifestyle habits, that might be contributing to the results. 

And it’s worth noting that a recent, large study — that aimed to avoid these issues — challenged previous findings about the health benefits of drinking red wine. 

Certainly, more research is needed to draw conclusions. But it’s going to be difficult. Randomized, blinded, and controlled trials are considered research’s gold standard — meaning, they’re the best kind of clinical trial to do when trying to determine cause and effect. However, this kind of trial doesn’t exist when it comes to studying the link between red wine and heart health. Conducting research in this way would pose ethical issues, like potentially putting people at risk by requiring them to drink.

Does the resveratrol in red wine have health benefits?

Resveratrol is an antioxidant that is found in grapes and red wine, along with other foods. Its benefits are thought to include:

• Anti-aging effects

• Reduced risk of heart disease

• Reduced risk of neurological disease, like stroke 

• Lowered risk of cancer

• Improved postmenopausal symptoms and osteoporosis, due to estrogen-like properties

• Anti-inflammatory effects

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To consume enough resveratrol to get significant benefits, you would have to drink multiple bottles of red wine a day, which could be harmful to your health. There is some mixed evidence about the benefits of resveratrol supplements, but there are no nutritional guidelines available right now. If you are interested in taking a supplement with resveratrol, talk to your provider. 

What is the healthiest type of red wine?

There aren’t any reliable studies that show that one type of red wine is better for you than another. But depending on your particular dietary goals, there are some factors you may want to consider when picking out a bottle:

• Calorie count: Most wines have about 120 calories per 5-oz glass. But some wine companies are now making lower-calorie options.

• Sugar content: Most red wines contain a similar amount of sugar: about 1 g to 4 g per glass. But dessert and sweet wines have a much higher sugar content. 

• Alcohol content: Unlike calorie count and sugar content, wine manufacturers are required to report alcohol content on bottles. And wines naturally vary in their alcohol content. 

• Amount of resveratrol: Some health experts claim that pinot noir is the wine with the highest amount of resveratrol. But remember that researchers still don’t know if the resveratrol in wine has any impact on health.

• Organic wines: Some people prefer to drink wine made from organic grapes or “sustainable” wine, meaning that it’s made in a way that decreases the impact on the environment. 

How much red wine should you drink?

Unfortunately, there’s no clear answer to the question of how much red wine is OK to drink. But it’s important to note that, if you don’t already drink, you shouldn’t start drinking red wine just for health reasons.

If you choose to drink alcohol, the American Heart Association recommends drinking in moderation. The standard drink size in the U.S. for wine is 5 ounces. According to the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, moderate drinking means: 

• 2 drinks or less per day for men

• 1 drink or less per day for women (because of the difference in how alcohol is metabolized)

There are health risks to drinking any alcohol. So, even though red wine may have some benefits for heart health, it is more likely to cause harm than good. 

Heavy alcohol consumption may increase your risk for conditions that affect your heart, such as:

• Heart rhythm problems

• High blood pressure

• Cardiomyopathy (a disease that weakens the heart muscle)

• Diabetes

• High triglyceride and LDL (low-density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels

Research has also suggested a link between drinking alcohol and central adiposity (the accumulation of fat around the midsection). Drinking several drinks a day has been linked to having more abdominal fat compared to drinking one drink or less each day. This is noteworthy because central fat has also been identified as a risk factor for heart disease.

Why trust our experts?

Written by:

Mandy Armitage, MD

Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined her interests in clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

Edited by:

Katie E. Golden, MD

Katie E. Golden, MD, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician and a medical editor at GoodRx.

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