Of all the alcoholic beverages you can drink guilt-free, red wine tops the list because there is actually a number of health benefits associated with moderate red wine consumption — and I’m not just referring to the fact that you feel less stressed after a glass or two.

According to Prevention, a study conducted by Universidad Complutense de Madrid in Spain, actually found that wines made with high-fiber Tempranillo red grapes can lower your cholesterol. And in addition to this, the polyphenols (the antioxidants which are found in red wine) can help reduce clotting by keeping the blood vessels flexible and therefore improving overall heart health. According to Dr. Axe, in some areas in France where red wine is often consumed while dining, there appear to be fewer deaths caused by coronary heart disease.

So, it appears that red wine can aid heart health, but it can reportedly also help to fight free radical damage. Dr. Axe reports that the antioxidants found in red wine can counteract oxidative stress by preventing and repairing damage caused by oxidation. And researchers at the University of Virginia expanded on this though, because according to reports, if one glass of red wine is drunk three or four times a week, then the ingested levels of resveratrol (which is found in grape skin) may be enough to starve new cancer cells.

According to Healthline, studies have also shown that drinking one to three glasses of red wine daily has been linked to the reduced risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease, and that it could also have a positive effect on your insulin levels, because research has found that those who drink two glasses of regular red wine a day for a period of four weeks could reduce insulin resistance.

And lastly, red wine has a positive effect on the mood and is reported to help prevent depression. According to News.com.au, a Spanish study found that men and women who drank between two and seven glasses of red wine per week were less likely to be diagnosed with depression than those who didn’t consume the beverage.

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