Best News Ever For Wine Drinkers

Dear red wine drinkers: I have wonderful news. A new study says that drinking a glass of wine can equate to an hour of exercise. I repeat: Drinking a glass of freaking merlot could be just as good for you as an hour of working out at the gym. Feel free to commence rejoicing at this time.

The researchers responsible for the glorious study — which was published in Journal of Physiology in May — discovered that resveratrol, a "natural compound" found in certain fruits, nuts, and (you guessed it) red wine, could actually "enhance exercise training and performance." But there's more. Jason Dyck, the principal investigator for the study, tells Science Daily that resveratrol can also offer the same benefits working out does:

"I think resveratrol could help patient populations who want to exercise but are physically incapable. Resveratrol could mimic exercise for them or improve the benefits of the modest amount of exercise that they can do."

(Applauds.)

The only bad news? Not-red wines don't count (sorry, Chardonnay-lovers), and it only works with one glass — so chugging a bottle a week doesn't equate to four to six gym sessions. But don't let those little, itty bitty downsides take away from the bigger picture here.

So if this is true, what are all of the other benefits only sweet, sweet wine, red or otherwise, can provide? We're all aware that wine is one of the healthier choices you can make when consuming alcohol, but just how healthy is it?

According to Leah Kaufman, a registered dietitian, wine is the "most calorie friendly" alcoholic beverages, adding up to only 100 calories in a typical five-ounce glass. Kaufman mentions that wine also contains antioxidants and can help prevent heart disease, as well as lower bad cholesterol and the formation of blood clots. Another bonus? Apparently red wine acts as a mouthwash because the flavan-3-ols in it can reduce "bad bacteria" found in your mouth. I'll just give all of the Olivia Popes out there another moment to continue rejoicing:

Other than the fact that red wine still qualifies as an alcoholic beverage, which isn't exactly the greatest thing you can put into your body, it's still good to know that indulging in a little red vino can do more than just make your teeth blue. An hour's worth of cardio more. Cheers to that!

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