Do grape juice and red wine have the same effects?
Red wine may be better for you than grape juice because the fermentation process during winemaking changes the composition of the juice, and grape skins, which are rich in healthy antioxidants, are more likely to be used in the wine.
The color of wine shows how many healthy nutrients, called polyphenols, the drink contains. Red wine is richer than white beer, and white beer is richer than beer. Red wine also contains alcohol, and many observational studies have shown that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
Grape juice also contains a compound called resveratrol, which may have some of the health benefits of wine. But other experts point out that it's nearly impossible to know how much resveratrol is in a specific glass of wine or grape juice, and that naturally occurring levels of resveratrol may be too low to have a noticeable impact on health.
Even from one wine type, and from one batch of wine to another, there is huge variation in the amount of resveratrol.
Grape juice is also high in sugar, and people tend to drink a lot of it, which can be unhealthy. Grape juice is a good thing to drink in moderation.
The bottom line is that there are plenty of scientific studies linking red wine to health benefits, but there is no similar research on grape juice. There may be some synergy between resveratrol and other substances present in wine rather than grape juice.
