Enjoy unwinding at the end of the day with a glass of wine? While there is no doubt that drinking wine (or any alcoholic beverage) in excess can adversely affect your health, career, and social relationships, there is evidence that moderate consumption of wine may have significant health benefits. Great, right? However, some health professionals continue to warn against the dangers of alcohol consumption, making it hard to piece together the real story about wine, your health, and longevity.

Much of the interest in wine, and red wine in particular, has to do with its antioxidants. Known as polyphenols, they are thought to protect your body's cells and tissues against damage that can lead to the development of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Here is what we know so far about polyphenols.

3 Documented Benefits of Red Wine

For years, researchers have been investigating the effects of drinking red wine, along with how much is enough and how much is too much. Among the health benefits that have been associated with wine are:

• Reduced risk of death. People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol, particularly red wine, are less likely to die from any cause during any specified time period than non-drinkers. Why red wine? The polyphenols in wine primarily come from the colored skins of grapes, so red wine tends to have a greater concentration of polyphenols than white wine, according to Georges Halpern, MD, PhD, distinguished professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, and a researcher who has studied the health benefits of wine. "It seems that these substances in higher concentration have a better protective effect on the cardiovascular system and possibly other systems," says Dr. Halpern.
• Decreased risk of heart disease. Moderate consumption of red wine has been associated with a reduced risk of dying from heart disease. That may be due in part to the fact that alcohol has been shown to increase high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or "good" cholesterol. Red wine benefits may also include the reduced risk of blood clotting, which can lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
• Protection from certain cancers. Laboratory studies have found that the antioxidant compounds in wine may block the formation of cancers and slow the growth of cancerous tumors. One recent study found that alcohol consumption was associated with a decreased risk of thyroid cancer, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and renal cancer.

Researchers are also conducting studies to determine whether red wine benefits might include prevention of other diseases and conditions — such as age-related brain changes and diabetes.

3 Reasons Not to Drink Wine

Drinking wine is not without potential risks. Researchers have found that wine consumption is associated with increased risk for:

• Certain cancers. In a study of middle-aged women in the United Kingdom, researchers found that even moderate consumption of wine and other alcoholic beverages significantly increased a woman’s risk of developing some cancers. Increasing levels of alcohol consumption have been associated with increased risks of developing oral cancers, throat cancer, esophageal cancer, cancer of the rectum, liver cancer, and breast cancer.
• Alcoholism. For some people, drinking wine or other types of alcohol can lead to alcoholism. "Some people become alcoholics very easily,” says Halpern, and getting the condition under control is very difficult.
• Cardiovascular disease. While moderate alcohol consumption has been shown to protect your heart health, drinking three or more drinks per day has been shown to raise your triglyceride levels and increase your risk of high blood pressure, stroke, and heart disease.

The key seems to be moderation. Drink too much, and you can damage your body, but drink in moderation — one glass a day for women and two a day for men — and you may enjoy its health benefits.

If you prefer not to drink alcohol, the good news is that you can get the same health benefits in wine from which the alcohol has been reduced to a significantly low level, Halpern says.