(UTSanDiego) - Wine may contain some health benefits when consumed in moderation, however the verdict is still out on whether or not wine plays a role in a healthy heart. 

According to the San Diego chapter of the American Heart Association, an average of one to two glasses of wine for men and one glass of wine per day for women is a good moderation table. Drinking more increases dangers of alcoholism, high blood pressure, obesity, stroke and accidents. 

Prakash Deedwania, chief of the cardiology division and professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, said that drinking a glass of wine can be good for the heart in that it can increase good cholesterol.

According to Deedwania, the grape skin provides flavonoids and other antioxidant substances that protect the heart and vessels from the damaging effects of free oxygen produced by our bodies.  “This is particularly true for diabetics because they have been shown to have a high production of free oxygen radicals,” Deedwania said. “But we don’t have any evidence specifically related to diabetes patients.”