Red Wine
It’s relaxing, filled with antioxidants, and just happens to be one drink many celebs love to relax with at the end of a hard day. You can even count at least one member of the royal family — Meghan Markle — as a fan of red wine.
“God, do I love wine — a beautiful full red or a crisp white,” Markle once reportedly said to The New Potato.
Other red wine fans reportedly include Helen Mirren, Diane Keaton, and even Queen Beyoncé, who prefers a dry Bordeaux wine called Pétrus, according to The Daily Meal.
So, what’s so special about red wine, other than the fact that one glass can relax you and make you feel less stressed and even a little sleepy? Look no further than its impressive antioxidant content.
Remember: any food or drink in excess can have the opposite effect of being healthy — moderation is key. But one glass of red wine before bed boasts a substance called reveratrol that has been found in studies on mice to help burn fat.
"Polyphenols in fruit, including resveratrol, increase gene expression that enhances the oxidation of dietary fats so the body won't be overloaded,” Lead researcher Professor Min Du, from Washington State University, told The Telegraph. “They convert white fat into beige fat which burns lipids (fats) off as heat, helping to keep the body in balance and prevent obesity and metabolic dysfunction. We are using resveratrol as a representative for all the polyphenols."
According to research from Oregon State University, red wine and grape juice really can burn fat — in mice (but keep your fingers crossed that works on humans, as well).
In the study, published in the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, one group of mice was fed a regular diet that consisted of 10 percent fat. Another group of mice ate a high-fat diet with 60 percent fat. This second lucky group also enjoyed Pinot Noir grape extracts, the equivalent of which (for humans) would be one and a half cups of the grapes.
Mice that consumed the grape extract had lower blood sugar levels and accumulated less fat on their livers than the ones on the high-fat diet who were not receiving the Pinot Noir grape extract, according to Real Simple. “The mice eating the grape supplement also had higher activity levels of PPAR-alpha and PPAR-gamma, two proteins that help our bodies regulate fat and metabolize sugar, meaning consumption of grapes or wine could help aid fat burning and improve livers of overweight people,” reports Real Simple.
If you love nothing more than a chilled Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay and wish the same health links applied to white wine, be patient. While it’s true that the overwhelming majority of studies have focused on red wine, its white wine cousin is the focus of fewer studies that are showing both wines may be able to improve glucose levels, according to the Washington Post.
And improved glucose levels could mean an easier time losing weight and burning fat.
Cheers to that.