Community Corner

Prince William Hospital Heart Event Toasts to Benefits of Wine

The Manassas hospital held an American Heart Month awareness event at Paradise Winery in Clifton on Friday.

Preventing heart disease means drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate and crunching on almonds—all in moderation, of course.

That was the message preached Friday at Prince William Hospital's, "Red Wine and Your Heart" wine tasting event at Paradise Winery in Clifton in honor of American Heart Month.

Twenty grams a day of alcohol is shown to be beneficial in preventing cardiovascular conditions, said Dr. Ara Maranian cardiologist and medical director of the Prince William Hospital Cardiac Rehabilitation Program in Manassas. 

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Twenty grams is about one full glass of wine, two “normal” half glasses of wine or one glass of beer, Maranian said.

Anything more than that, the mortality rate goes up, he said.

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“Unless you drink a barrel a day—which can cause cardiovascular disease—then there are some really nice benefits," Maranian said.

 It is not clear if red wine is more healthy than white, he added.

Resveratrol, found in the skin of red grapes, is shown to beneficial, which is why some think red wine is more healthy, Maranian said.

Some companies have started selling Resveratrol in the form of a pill, but there is no proof this is beneficial, he warned.

Wine is also thought to be of some benefit to diabetics, as some studies show it makes the body a little more sensitive to insulin, Maranian said.

In the U.S. there has been a decline in cardiovascular diseases, but more work is still needed, he said.

To aid in the treatment of such diseases, Prince William Hospital recently opened a Cath lab, were diagnostics and imaging of the cardiovascular system are conducted, said Melody Knapp, director of Heart and Vascular services at Prince William Hospital. 

Many Manassas residents don’t know such services are available in their own neighborhood, Knapp said.

Before the cath lab opened in 2010, people would have to be transitioned out of their community for treatment, she said.

“Now it’s in their own backyard,” Knapp said. “Families don’t want to drive out of their community; it’s intimidating for them.”

Prince William Hospital facilities are equal, if not better, than neighboring facilities, she added.

The hospital has hosted several seminars and awareness events this month in honor of American Heart Month.

Dr. Merdod Ghafouri will present the final event, “How to Prevent a Heart Attack …What You Need To Know," at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Prince William Hospital.

More information can be found at pwhs.org/heart2heart.

What's your favorite vino (wine)? Tell us in the comments.


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