There are Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins in My Wine!

There are Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins in My Wine! Is That a Good Thing?

Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins or OPCs are found in most plants including wine grapes.  It is a natural compound that is generally found in apples, pears, grapes, cranberries, blackcurrants, elderberries, hawthorn, rosehips, sea buckthorns, plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, almonds and aronia. It is also found in cinnamon, chocolate and tea.  Proanthocyanidins are in red wine and only a slight amount in white wines.  White wines only carry 5% of the amount of OPCs that red wines have (a 20 to 1 ratio).  OPCs are found in the tannins which can influence the aroma, flavor, mouth-feel and astringency of red wines.  

Due to potent antioxidant activity, OPCs have been the subject of recent research which may show success as being anticarcinogenic (cancer preventative), anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial (help to fight undesired microorganisms in the body), and vasodilatory (widening of blood vessels) thus making them a potentially valuable therapeutic tool for the treatment of a variety of conditions.  Because OPCs may have antioxidant properties, it means that OPCs can help stop oxidation in the body that lead to damaging healthy cell tissue.  OPCs can break the chain reactions that break down cell membranes and could help your body be more resistant. For people with high levels of bad cholesterol (LDL), OPCs in wine may help reduce the bad cholesterol in your system.  It is important to note that scientists have yet to determine the amount of OPCs needed to improve health and it may take a quite of bit of wine to get enough OPCs to be helpful.  The downside is that drinking that much wine may lead to other health issues.

One option to get more benefits from OPCs is to drink grape juice rather than wine.  Although red wine may contain more proanthocyanidins than red grape juice, red grape juice contains more proanthocyanidins per average serving size.  It is reported that an eight ounce serving of grape juice averages 124 milligrams proanthocyanidins, whereas a five ounce serving of red wine averages 91 milligrams.   It is more fun however, to drink wine than grape juice.  

So when you are at your next cocktail party you can tell your friends that they are drinking Oligomeric Proanthocyanidins!  Probably best to say that early in the evening before you have too many drinks.  When you are at a wine bar, you can tell the bartender to serve you some great OPC and see what you get other than the door.