Red wine can actually relive stress and anxiety, according to a study

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By Aleesha Badkar 2019-07-31T12:00:00Z

Everyone likes a glass of wine at the end of the day.

Somehow, no matter how stressful a day you might have had, sipping on a glass of red always manages to help you calm you down.

And while we always thought it was just ritual of the enjoying a deep red in a polished thin-stemmed glass (or maybe just the alcohol content) that gives us that calming effect, it turns out that there actually might be some more science behind it.

A new study has found that drinking red wine actually can help you de-stress at the end of the day – and it’s all because of its ingredients.

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Scientists have found that plant compound resveratrol, which is found in red wine, can block enzymes linked to stress, depression and anxiety and help relieve stress on the brain.

The body produces the hormone corticosterone if you are stressed or worried and excessive stress can cause the hormone to circulate around the brain, possibly even leading to mental health problems.

However, the scientific study, published in the journal Neuropharmacology and led by Xiaoxing Yin, professor at Xuzhou Medical University in China, found that resveratrol helped protect the body against corticosterone.

‘Resveratrol may be an effective alternative to drugs for treating patients suffering from depression and anxiety disorders,’ said Ying Xu co-lead author and research associate professor in the Buffalo University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

More: Whether you prefer red or white wine apparently says a lot about your personality

That obviously doesn’t mean that anyone suffering from depression or anxiety will be fine with a glass of wine, but if you’re feeling a little stressed after a hard day of work then a tipple or two could do the trick and make sure to always try and stick to the recommended guidelines.

According to the NHS there is no ‘safe’ level of drinking, but less than 14 units a week is considered low risk. You’ll find three units in a large (250ml) glass of 12% ABC red wine and two in a 175ml glass.

Aleesha Badkar

Aleesha is digital shopping writer at woman&home - so whether you're looking for beauty, fashion, health or home buys, she knows all the best places to splash your cash. She earned an MA in Magazine Journalism from City, University of London in 2017 after graduating from University of Leeds in 2014 with a BA in English and Spanish (which took her to Madrid for a fun Rioja and tapas-packed year). Aleesha has worked for woman&home since 2019, when she joined the team as their digital news writer. A year on the news team gained her quick and reactive writing skills and a love for breaking stories, invaluable insight into where to get the best lifestyle releases first, an AOP awards nomination and the nickname ‘crazy watch lady’ after she became so obsessed with the royals that she followed breaking news alerts on her Apple Watch.

Before joining the woman&home team, Aleesha wrote for their sister site GoodtoKnow, where she covered celebrity news, health advice and where to snap up the cheapest lifestyle buys. With a background in beauty, Aleesha has also written for Stylist and Women’s Health where she developed an understanding into what makes a stellar product and which brands are worth paying attention to. She never leaves the house without a slick of lip balm and a good slathering of SPF, cannot live without an eyelash curler by her side and is always on the hunt for new lipsticks to add to her ‘Lipstick of the Day’ Instagram story highlight (and color-coordinated collection).

But it’s not just beauty buys Aleesha can help you with. Social media savviness, strong PR relationships and a need to stay in the know mean she’s all about the latest fashions, clever gadgets and reliable lifestyle buys too. She loves indulging in an interior craze (with a bedroom drowned in prints, plants and pink), is a regular visitor to the Missoma and Edge of Ember 'New In' pages and can’t resist the allure of a kitchen gadget—just ask her three coffee machines.

When she’s not playing around with new products and testing anything she can get her hands on, Aleesha spends most of her time with her head in a current bestseller, catching up on the latest Netflix craze with her sister, trying out new recipes, drinking wine with her bestie and (in non-COVID times) has been known to be a bit of a jetsetter amongst her friendship group. Oh and she makes the most of her Disney+ subscription by watching the Marvel films on repeat (definitely not just for Chris Evans...).

Follow her latest shopping & lifestyle advice, beauty insights and social antics on Instagram at @aleeshabadkar.

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Email: aleesha.badkar@futurenet.com