A common prescription often attributed to doctors is, “Take an aspirin and call me in the morning.”

Based on more than 200 or so studies conducted by medical researchers around the world in recent years, the advice in the future might be, “Have a glass of red wine and call me in a few months.”

These research studies have almost overwhelmingly linked moderate consumption of wine and beneficial effects on a wide variety of diseases and other medical ailments.

Recommending wine for health purposes is not new — it’s said that Hippocrates, who lived about 400 B.C., used wine to cure fevers and treat wounds. Until the 18th century, folks thought water contained germs, so wine was a safer drink — it didn’t have germs because the alcohol killed them.

Attitudes changed, however, especially in the early 20th century.

“There was an entire generation of medical professionals, especially in America, that obtained their medical education during the historical period known as Prohibition. Medical texts for nearly 25 years were purged and censored of any mention of alcohol, including wine, for any application other than external. This medical generation became educators to the following one, perpetuating medical ignorance of the potential health benefits of wine,” according to the Web site of Professional Friends of Wine.

‘French Paradox’

In 1991, the famous “French Paradox” was broadcast on “60 Minutes,” reporting French people had a lower risk of heart disease despite eating fatty foods, and attributed that to wine consumption. Medical professionals then began to take another look at wine and health.

Research studies have since suggested that wine consumed in moderation can reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, gall bladder disease and even Alzheimer’s. It has been found to help digestion, aid in sleeping, reduce cataracts, fight off colds and even improve hearing.

The common bond between wine and all of these ailments is polyphenols, more specifically, resveratrol, defined in answers.com as “a natural compound found in grapes, mulberries, peanuts and other plants or food products, especially red wine.” It is produced by plants to fight off fungi and is considered an antioxidant, a chemical that counteracts the damaging effects of oxygen in tissues.

Polypehnols are found in the skins of grapes, explaining why so many of the studies suggest red wine helps this or prevents that. Polyphenols aren’t found in white wines because the skins are removed at pressing, and they also aren’t found in unfermented grape juice; apparently something occuring during the winemaking process affects how polyphenols react.

Hope for white wine

There’s hope, though, for white wine drinkers and those who are allergic to red wines. Researchers in Israel have discovered a way of increasing antioxidants in white wine without changing the color, taste or aroma.

Most of the studies connecting wine with improved health seem to center around the heart, cholesterol and related cardiovascular illnesses. A group in the United Kingdom found polyphenols offset a certain protein believed to be a major factor in heart disease by causing constriction of blood vessels and reducing oxygen flow to the heart.

Other studies have shown resveratrol helps to increase HDL (the good cholesterol) and one research project indicated LDL (the bad cholesterol) levels were reduced with red wines. Still another showed nitric oxide, a component of heart and artery function which enhances blood flow, was increased by resveratrol, while a high cholesterol diet decreased nitric oxide by more than 30 percent.

Women may benefit more than men. A Canadian study showed the risk of heart disease in women older than 40 was somewhat lower than in men among those who drank between two and nine drinks per week, and the moderate drinkers had a lower rate of newly-diagnosed heart disease than those who abstained altogether.

Some negative studies

Not every study on the subject has been positive.

“We found in our study, interestingly, that the more you drink, that is, on average and during any one occasion, the more likely you were to have some atherosclerosis in your coronary arteries,” said Dr. Mark Pletcher, who headed a study called Coronary Artery Risk Development In Young Adults (CARDIA).

Atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaque in arteries, often leads to heart attacks. And wine is not the only culprit.

“Regardless of what type of alcoholic beverage people said they preferred, whether it be wine, beer or hard liquor, that the more they drank, the more they were likely to have calcium (an element of the plaque),” said Dr. Stephen Sidney, of Kaiser Permanente’s Division of Research in Northern California.

Although resveratrol seems to be the primary reason for the health benefits of wine, perhaps drinking wine aged in oak also offers a possible anti-cancer protection. An article on scientificamerican.com quotes a study in France indicating some molecules in red wine interact and form an anti-tumor compound known as acutissimin A, originally found in the bark of oak trees. The researchers tested red wine aged for 18 months in oak barrels and found two types of acutissimin. They quickly cautioned, though, that red wine cannot be considered a cancer preventative.

Resveratrol also is being studied to see its effect on cancer, both on the prevention side and on treating the disease. It seems to have an effect on inhibiting the creation of free radicals (atoms without an electron which can eventually break down cells) and seems to affect the growth of tumors by inhibiting a certain chemical that aids in cell growth.

No effect on lung cancer

Apparently, alcohol consumption doesn’t have much of an effect on lung cancer. A study conducted by researchers at Boston University found people who consumed alcohol (1-2 drinks per day) run the same risk of contracting lung cancer as non-drinkers. However, they acknowledged that drinking often is done in bars where smoking is permitted, and it’s possible lung cancer could be contracted through second-hand smoke.

A study published in the British medical journal “Heart” indicated while alcohol may help decrease heart disease, it may increase the risk of dying from other diseases, including cancer. The study involved more than 7,700 men in England ages 40-59 who were observed for 16 years, and it showed although they were no less likely to die of cardiovascular disease, they were 40 percent more likely to die of other diseases.

“This research is of importance because it shows that the effects of alcohol on one organ may not apply to the rest of the body,” said the British Heart Foundation.

Wine may prevent dementia

Looking at the effects of wine on other diseases, researchers in Denmark found wine consumption may help prevent dementia, and again, the possibility is traced to the antioxidant effects of resveratrol. Other studies in Holland and Italy indicated similar results.

A report from Spain indicated people who had 14 or more glasses of wine per week had a 44 percent less chance of contracting a cold than teetotalers, and those who drank red wine were an even lower risk than those who consumed white wine. One researcher was quoted as saying that the antioxidants in red wine might reduce cold symptoms in the same way Vitamin C does.

Even the ears are helped. A research program at the University of Michigan found that antioxidants in red wine can protect the tiny hairs inside the inner ear, thus helping to reduce age-related deafness and even hearing loss caused by loud noise.

For those who have trouble sleeping, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Milan, Italy brought some good news. A glass or two of red wine a while before bedtime helps to bring sleep sooner. They found that red wine grapes — particularly nebbiolo, merlot, cabernet sauvignon and sangiovese — contained melatonin, a hormone that helps regulate the circadian rhythm, more commonly known as the body clock.

The key to all of these studies is the word “moderation.”

Guidelines offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services define moderate drinking as no more than one drink a day for most women, and no more than two drinks a day for most men. A standard drink of wine is generally considered to be five ounces, containing approximately a half-ounce of alcohol. Some people should not drink at all, including pregnant women and people taking certain types of medications.

New kind of wine spritzer

A food scientist in Oregon has found a new use for wine. He discovered that wine can help destroy various bacteria in the stomach, including E. coli and salmonella. He used a model stomach he created in his lab, but other food scientists are skeptical of the concept, saying it would inspire more confidence if the compound had been tested on a biological system, such as a rat.

He is a microbiologist and part-time winemaker, and is working on a kind of white wine spritzer — a spritzer in the literal sense of the word. It’s not for human consumption, but would be sprayed on counters. Red wine won’t work — not because it won’t kill the germs, but because it will stain the countertop.

Wine might help consumers in another way, too. A research team in Spain found resveratrol can help to keep fruit fresh longer. Because resveratrol is a natural defense of grapes against fungi, the team mixed it with distilled water and dipped different types of fruit, including apples, cherries, peaches and tomatoes, into the solution. The fruits were left to age at room temperature, along with fruits from the same boxes that were untreated. The process was repeated three times, and each time the treated fruits had longer shelf life.

The researchers said consumers can dip their apples in red wine after bringing them home from the market, but added, “the effect of other compounds also present in wine could influence the preservation of fruit quality.”

Whether it helps, the wine-flavored apples will undoubtedly taste better. And if you eat it, why bother to preserve it?