Wine II

The Word of God is magnificent truth. Because it is truth, you cannot successfully add to it or subtract from it. Ecclesiastes 3:14:

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

Man has altered much of God’s handiwork, only to find himself on the south side of success. For example, men have removed the wheat bran and wheat germ from God’s original product, instead feeding us white paste called bread and pastries, which has resulted in cancer, Crohn’s disease, colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, diverticulitis, obesity, physical stress, heart trouble, and more. They have added known carcinogens, sodium nitrate and sodium nitrite, to our lunch meats to extend its shelf life, only to shorten the life of the eater. Man has concocted an entire cadre of new designer crops that are only just beginning to be linked to various illnesses and ecological problems. For decades, the general U.S. population has been fed margarine as a superior health product to butter, which is God’s endorsed product. The results of this disregard for God’s word have been sickness, suffering, and the untimely death of multitudes. This world is replete with such examples.

A wise man will seek foodstuffs, for example, closest to the hand of God. The Word of God is true and righteous altogether. Those who alter it will not succeed.

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GOD SAID, Joel 2:24:

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

GOD SAID, Genesis 27:28:

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

GOD SAID, Proverbs 3:10:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

MAN SAID: Who needs God? Who needs the Bible? With our great intellect, we can discern a Godless beginning and we can certainly design a better plan.

Now THE RECORD. When God endorses anything, wise men and women get in line, simply because God is never wrong and never loses. All His commandments to man are for man’s good. Such is the case with God’s counsel concerning wine. In the Scriptures, He speaks of the fruit of the vine around 200 times, and in many cases, very favorably. On this website, there are two specific features that deal with the subject of wine. One is titled "Wine," and the other, "Alcohol and Christians." Take time to review these powerful messages. Many are being snared by the spirits of alcohol, erroneously believing that God endorses some form of moderation. This is far from the truth. Also, the idea of fermented wine being part of the success of the famed Mediterranean diet, thus endorsing consumption of alcoholic beverages, is an incorrect association, too. The following excerpts are from "Wine:"

Now for what they forgot to mention about consuming the juice of the grape. This following excerpt is from the publication Better Nutrition:

Solid research indicates phytonutrients in the wine, not the alcohol, are the awesome antioxidant workers. Red wine and its non-alcoholic equal, purple grape juice, are brimming with the antioxidants resveratrol, grapeseed anthocyanidins, quercitin, ellagic acid, phenolic flavonoids, and epicatechin. Purple grape juice is, perhaps, the most powerful antioxidant on earth, having demonstrated the highest ORAC rating of more than 40 fruits, vegetables, and juices tested in the lab!  [End of quote]

ORAC, by the way, stands for Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. This measurement calculates the ability of a certain entity to destroy free radicals that cause cell damage, aging, disease, etc. And it is now known, that ellagic acid, which is also a component of grape juice, reduces cancerous growths. Ellagic acid is also found in the seeds of berries. More on the information many forgot to mention is the following excerpt in an article written by J. Miles under the title, "I Got It Through the Grapevine:"

Good news for teetotalers. Researchers have found that grapes may prevent heart disease similar to the way wine does. Scientists at Columbus Children’s Hospital, in Ohio, served up reconstituted grapes (the equivalent of about a cup and a quarter of fresh ones) to healthy adults who had just eaten a high-fat meal. "We’re talking about a meal that could have come straight from the drive-through," says John Bauer, the researcher who led the study. The grapes completely prevented the harmful effects such meals have been shown, in other studies, to have on vascular cells.  [End of quote]

This following "Q" and "A" exchange took place in "Letters To The Editor" in Energy Times:

I see repeated articles regarding the benefits of red wine/grapeseed extract, including the March 1999 Energy Times. Would not unfermented grape juice have the same health benefits? After all, some people choose to avoid alcohol.           —E.L., Texas

Editor’s reply: In the April 1999 Energy Times, we ran a report of a study by the University of Wisconsin Medical School demonstrating that red or purple grape juice contains the same tannins and flavonoids as wine that diminish cholesterol and may fight blood clotting.  [End of quote]

It’s not the alcohol in the wine that delivers the marvelous benefits. Now the latest research is in and it’s not good news for consumers of alcoholic beverages. The following excerpts are from a report citing the latest research concerning alcohol consumption. "Cancel Happy Hour: Alcohol Shrinks Brain" was the title of the report. It reads:

Dec. 5, 2003—Forget that cabernet at dinner; at happy hour—just say no. For middle-aged people, drinking alcohol in moderate amounts actually causes the brain to slightly deteriorate, a new study shows. What’s more, you get no protection from stroke—which runs contrary to previous studies that show moderate alcohol intake is associated with some protection against it. A new study, published in this month’s issue of Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association also delves into this issue of drinking alcohol and brain shrinkage. Previous studies have linked heavy drinking with brain deterioration as well as stroke. But this is the first to show that even moderate drinking (seven to 14 drinks a week)—causes the same sort of brain atrophy and it occurs as early as in middle age, so writes researcher Jingzhong Ding, PhD, an epidemiologist with the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. Ding’s study looks at 1,900 middle-aged men and women living in communities in North Carolina and Mississippi. Each had a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scan to measure brain volume—based on the amount of fluid surrounding the brain, not on an actual measure of brain tissue. Greater amounts of fluid surrounding the brain indicate a decrease in the brain mass. Researchers found that former drinkers and moderate drinkers had higher odds of stroke than those who reported drinking occasionally, even when other lifestyle factors such as smoking, body mass index, and diabetes were taken into account, reports Ding. [End of quote]

I must also mention that the word "wine" in the Scriptures can mean grape juice or fermented wine. The distinction is clearly delineated.

The phenomenal benefits of wine continue to pour in through multiple studies, once again proving the perfect reliability of the Word of God. Life Extension magazine published an article in July 2005 titled, "Broad-Spectrum Effects of Grape Seed Extract." The following excerpts are from the magazine’s extensive feature:

Grapevines are living pharmacies. Each part of the plant creates its own medicinal agents. Leaves, for example, make their own sunscreen. Grapes make their own pesticide. Grapes and grape leaves make their own fungicide. As fascinating as this is, even more interesting is that humans can benefit from these natural nutraceuticals as much as the plants. Grapevines contain dozens of different phytocompounds that have different effects on different areas of the human body. The most studied of these phytocompounds are quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (from seeds), and anthocyanins (which give purple and red grapes their color). All of these phytocompounds are classified as polyphenols.The seeds of grapes contain many good things. First are the antioxidants, more rightly called super-antioxidants. They’re not only more powerful than standard antioxidants like vitamin E, but also more diverse. The factors contained in grape seed go way beyond the ordinary. Running the gambit from vaporizing the effects of environmental stress to intercepting free radicals created by food, the compounds in grape seed extract provide broad-spectrum antioxidant protection. It doesn’t end there, however. Scientific studies document multiple effects, including antibiotic, anti-tumor, anti-diabetic, anti-ulcer, pro-heart and arteries, and anti-brain aging.

Under the heading, "Catching the ’Molecular Sharks’," the following is recorded:

Proanthocyanidins are the main active ingredients in grape seed extract that go after "molecular sharks" otherwise known as free radicals. They make up about 90% of grape seed extract. Various versions are all united by a similar chemical structure and possess powerful antioxidant activity—20 times stronger than that of vitamin E and 50 times stronger than that of vitamin C. The "super-antioxidant" effects are neatly summed up in a study showing that pretreatment with grape seed extract reduces DNA fragmentation in the brain by a whopping 50% and in the liver by 47% after exposure to a strong chemical. Proanthocyanidins, along with resveratrol and quercetin, are some of the healthy factors in wine.

When wine is consumed is another factor to consider. It is often overlooked, but wine is usually consumed with meals, and this may be an important factor in its health effects. After a person eats, the "molecular sharks" go crazy. Protein, carbohydrates, and fat from food provoke free radicals to intensify. Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) remains susceptible to free radical attack up to three hours after a meal. Italian researchers have demonstrated that grape seed extract can significantly reverse this phenomenon. Three hundred milligrams of grape seed extract consumed with a meal reduces levels of plasma lipid hydroperoxides (intermediates of lipid peroxidation) by 1.5 times.

Again from the article:

Syndrome X is a condition characterized by a fat belly, insulin resistance, high blood pressure, heart problems, and elevated cholesterol. This diabetes-like condition is reaching "epidemic proportions." Researchers in France recently induced the equivalent of Syndrome X in rodents by feeding them a diet with 60% fruit sugar (fructose). Such a diet causes blood pressure to skyrocket, free radicals to accelerate, and the heart to begin to enlarge. Previously, the same researchers had demonstrated that polyphenols from red wine could reverse all Syndrome X symptoms in rodents except insulin resistance. Now they wanted to go after insulin resistance as well. In this condition, the pancreas makes more and more insulin but seems to be less and less effective at handling blood sugar. In humans, white wine after a meal can reduce insulin and glucose, suggesting that polyphenols can improve blood sugar.

The article continues under the subhead, "Take 20 Years Off Your Brain:"

What these researchers found is that age not only causes proteins to be lost, but also causes undesirable proteins to be gained. The age-related increases are just as detrimental as age- related decreases. This research from the University of Alabama shows that grape seed extract normalizes 13 different brain proteins back to youthful levels. Undesirable proteins that impede the brain’s ability to make new cells are reduced. (New brain cells are made in certain areas of the brain throughout the human life span. For more information, see "Reinventing the Brain," Life Extension, August 2000.) A protein that makes a type of scar tissue in the brain is also reduced, potentially helping the brain recover from injuries like stroke. The same protein also shows up in certain types of brain tumors and in Alzheimer’s disease. Grape seed extract reduces these undesirable proteins, while at the same time increasing other proteins that are lost with age. The researchers concluded that polyphenols have diverse effects on brain aging. This research is also noteworthy in that it shows, for the first time, that "normal" aging can be reversed in a healthy adult rat. Most brain dementia studies examine diseased or aged brains instead of healthy ones.

The last paragraph noted from Life Extension is found under the subhead, "Grape Seed for Bones and Metabolism" reads:

Grape seed extract is a very broad-spectrum supplement. It is a powerful antioxidant against diverse types of radicals; it stops ulcers as effectively as some drugs; it can keep sun-induced papillomas from turning into carcinomas; and it helps maintain bone in the jaw. [End of quotes]

When God endorses a product, wise men and women get in line. This following research was published in the July-August 2005 issue of Energy Times under the heading, "Grape Juice Good For Blood Pressure:"

If lowering your blood pressure is a pressing concern, indulge in Concord grape juice. The evidence of its cardiovascular benefits continues to grow: A recent study shows that grape juice’s polyphenols (phytochemicals which act as antioxidants) may reduce blood pressure by encouraging relaxation of artery walls. Another study on 40 Korean men with mild hypertension showed that drinking Concord grape juice lowered their blood pressure by almost seven points. Researchers have also found grape juice to lower cholesterol and inhibit atherosclerosis, proving that it’s an all-around superstar for cardiovascular health.  [End of quote]

The last sentence in the feature quoted earlier from Life Extension reads, "The science of grapes is, to use the word of researchers, remarkable."

Thousands of years before modern science begins to know the reasons why, God declares it in His Holy Bible. This is just another proof that God is, that He authored the scriptures, and will hold all men accountable to it at the soon-coming White Throne Judgment. If you are not prepared, click on to "Further With Jesus" now.

GOD SAID, Joel 2:24:

And the floors shall be full of wheat, and the vats shall overflow with wine and oil.

GOD SAID, Genesis 27:28:

Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine:

GOD SAID, Proverbs 3:10:

So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

MAN SAID: Who needs God? Who needs the Bible? With our great intellect, we can discern a Godless beginning and we can certainly design a better plan.

Now you have THE RECORD.




References:

King James Bible

"Grape Juice Good For Blood Pressure," Energy Times, July/August 2005, p8

Mitchell, T., "Broad-Spectrum Effects of Grape Seed Extract," Life Extension, July 2005, pp32-39

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