(Winespectator) - Polyphenols play a big part in wine's claim to health-benefit fame. But can you actually explain why wine's polyphenols are good for you? Or even what a polyphenol is? For those without degrees in organic chemistry, understanding these compounds can seem daunting.

Let's break it down.

What is a polyphenol?

Let's start with an even more common term in the wine-health lexicon: antioxidants, molecules that protect against the harmful effects of oxidation. Not to be confused with the flaws caused by wine oxidation (which is harmless to your health), oxidation in the human body is the breakdown of oxygen molecules caused by everyday occurrences such as exercise, metabolizing food and environmental factors such as exposure to air pollutants. Those che