Health: New Benefit Linked To Glass Of Wine, According To New Study

By Stephanie Stahl

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new benefit linked to having a glass or two of wine every night for a large group of people with a common condition.

Doctors have known that alcohol can be heart healthy for many people, but it was unclear for patients with diabetes exactly what was helpful.  Now we know, this sweeping new research shows that red wine can improve the cardiovascular health of people with type 2 diabetes.

Fifty-one-year-old Garret Rubin says he has to watch out for everything in his diet since being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.  The study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine says a daily glass of red wine may actually help people with type 2 diabetes.

"One to 2 glasses of red wine for men and up to one glass of red wine for women, daily, at dinner, over a two year period, resulted in lower blood sugar and a decreased development of heart disease," says Dr. Minisha Sood an Internist.

Red wine also modestly increased levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and lowered overall cholesterol.  Researchers have known for a while moderate amounts of alcohol are fine for diabetics, but the jury was out on which kind of alcohol had the most benefit.  Dr. Sood says, "It's the phenols, it's the resveratrol, it's the tannins, they all work together with the ethanol possibly to result in these positive changes."

Rubin says diet, exercise and medication are still his first line of defense, but, "Now, since I have a choice, I think red wine might be the thing."

And there was one more benefit linked to this research - the moderate wine consumption, significantly improved sleep quality for diabetics in the study which is unusual, because alcohol often interferes with sleep.