Study co-author Neil Shay believes the findings are promising. “The high-fat-fed mice developed fatty liver and diabetic symptoms -- the same metabolic consequences we see in many overweight, sedentary people,” Shay said in an article published by CBS San Francisco. “If we could develop a dietary strategy for reducing the harmful accumulation of fat in the liver, using common foods like grapes…that would be good news.”

And that’s not all. Red wine may prevent cancer. A study published in the journal Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology found that alcohol damages cells.

“Alcohol damages cells, and resveratrol kills damaged cells,” says a scientist who studied red wine and its relationship to preventing cancer in a press release published by Science Daily and originally printed by the University of Colorado Denver. “Alcohol bombards your genes. Your body has ways to repair this damage, but with enough alcohol, eventually some damage isn't fixed. That's why excessive alcohol use is a factor in head and neck cancer. Now, resveratrol challenges these cells -- the ones with unrepaired DNA damage are killed, so they can't go on to cause cancer. Alcohol damages cells and resveratrol kills damaged cells," he adds.

Researchers have found that the health benefits of red wine may extend to better health in those with diabetes. According to Medical Daily, red wine could control both cholesterol and blood sugar levels. However, this was found in the context of participants between the ages of 40 and 75 who also followed the Mediterranean diet, which likely had an impact.

In the two-year study, selected participants previously drank alcohol no more than once a week and had controlled cases of diabetes. Subjects consumed five ounces of wine or another assigned beverage with evening meals. Interestingly, good cholesterol levels climbed in those drinking red wine. However, significantly improved blood sugar levels were seen mainly in those who drank white wine as opposed to red wine (though red wine did have an effect).

Genetics were thought to be an important factor in the study. “Researchers found that slow-alcohol metabolizers improved their blood sugar more than those who were fast-alcohol metabolizers,” Medical Daily reports.