Wines have long been used for their medicinal effects. Documents have been found over the years that suggest people once thought wine could cure stomach ulcers, stop cancer spreading and even reverse the effects of aging.Sadly, its more often the case that wine (and alcohol in general) contributes more to the cause of health problems than the cure. In fact, over 2000 people were injured last year in the U.S just by using a bottle opener.Having said this, wine does sometimes prove to have some positive effects on the body, and one of them has been demonstrated by scientists at the University of Minnesota, who claim that the inclusion of wine in massage helps the muscle recovery process.
This claim was made after scientists at the university ran an 8-month study on various groups of athletes and other students, whereby they had recovery messages at regular intervals using either wine or a placebo substance. The study showed that remarkably, those people who had wine included in their massage sessions, showed around a 20% increase in the rate of muscle recovery.Gary Herring the research director at the university’s bio-sciences department pointed out that “muscles pick up damage all the time, even when used lightly…what our study showed is that the recovery of normal muscle tissue was accelerated when white or red wine was added to the normal recovery-massage process”.The experts that carried out the study have suggested that the alcohol in the wine is partly responsible for this effect, as it allows the muscles to relax even more than normal by desensitising nerve endings. This relaxation then allows a vaso-dilation of the blood vessels that surround muscle tissue and means more healing nutrients can get to the damaged tissue.This said, when the scientists tested other beverages with similar levels of alcohol content, the same positive effects on muscle healing were not recorded, which suggests there are additional elements in the wine that influence the process.
You probably won’t find that there is a rush in wine rack sales from health spas around the country, but maybe they will invest in some riedel vinum chardonnay just to give it a go.
