Question 1

What positive effects does wine have on health?

Accepted Answer

Even the ancient Greeks and Romans knew that wine can have a beneficial effect on health, whether as an additive in other remedies or pure. On the one hand, the calming effect on agitated patients up to a soporific, sedative effect when consumed in large quantities, on the other hand, its stimulating and problem-reducing effect on the gastrointestinal tract and circulation. Furthermore, wine was used as a bath additive, as an antiseptic or as a diuretic.

Nevertheless, the side effects of excessive wine consumption were quite common.

Nowadays, in an age of intensive research into the mechanisms of metabolic processes in the human body and increasing education of patients and society about health and disease, more and more people affected by the disease are asking themselves whether their disease has something to do with their lifestyle and how they can influence this disease by changing their lifestyle and eating habits. Especially in the case of diseases, which are also collectively referred to as "diseases of affluence" and whose importance (both medical and economic) will increase in the future, it is possible to influence the course of the disease significantly by changing one's lifestyle. These diseases include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus (commonly known as diabetes) and gout.

Active ingredients in wine

Wine consists mainly of water (80%), the rest is made up of very different substances, including colorants, odorants, flavors and tannins, ethyl alcohol, various sugars (e.g. glucose, fructose), electrolytes and vitamins - especially vitamins B6 (pyridoxine) and C(ascorbic acid), whereby vitamin B6 is essential for the function of the central nervous system and vitamin C has a protective function as a scavenger of radicals. One glass of wine a day does not even cover a fifth of the daily requirement of these vitamins.

The positive effects of wine are currently attributed in particular to the phenols found in high concentrations in grape skins and grape seeds - in particular flavonoids, salicylates and tannins - and alcohol. Phenols are found in high concentrations especially in red wine and in the wood of the barrels.

The consumption of wine in moderation shows numerous positive effects in the human body. However, it does not apply that a larger quantity also leads to a better success. Many of the effects mentioned below are reduced again with larger consumption, and their desired positive effect becomes small in relation to the undesired effects. The effects attributable to ethyl alcohol alone are also further enhanced by interactions between the alcohol and phenols which have not yet been fully clarified.

Effect on heart and circulation

Vasodilatation with mild hypotension
Effect as antioxidant
Reduction of harmful blood lipids (LDL)
Inhibition of blood coagulation (reduction of the risk of thrombosis)
excessive consumption: increased risk of heart attack and stroke

Phenols and alcohol show numerous joint or complementary effects on the heart and circulation, which can have a prophylactic effect on cardiovascular diseases when consumed in moderation (about one to two glasses per day as an upper limit). By lowering the blood lipid level, especially the LDL cholesterol (LDL: low density lipoprotein) and raising the "good", protective HDL cholesterol (HDL: high density lipoprotein), by lowering blood pressure and the antioxidant effect (including scavengers of reactive chemical radicals), the development of arteriosclerosis can be prevented or its development slowed down.

Calcified vessels can be the cause of circulatory disorders. In the worst case, the coronary arteries supplying the heart are affected, and this can lead to a heart attack - inadequate blood circulation and supply to the heart muscle - which can be accompanied by irreversible damage to the heart.

Moderate inhibition of blood clotting can prevent the formation of a clot (thrombosis), which occurs mainly in the lower leg. These clots can travel through the blood vessels, blocking vessels and thus lead to infarcts or strokes.

Too much wine (or other alcoholic beverages) can significantly reduce the above-mentioned effects and thus lead to an increased risk of the above-mentioned diseases.

Effect on kidney diseases and gout

lower risk of kidney stone formation
lower excretion of uric acid (danger of gout)

Gout can be subsumed under the generic term "diseases of affluence". It is a disease in which the concentration of uric acid in the blood is increased (hyperuricemia). If symptoms occur, it is called gout. The symptoms are typical in many cases: the deposition of uric acid crystals in joints (especially in the big toe joint) leads to a painful inflammation of these joints.

The cause is usually a disturbed, reduced excretion of uric acid via the kidneys as well as an excessive intake of uric acid precursors (purines) with food (here mainly meat and legumes). Alcohol additionally inhibits uric acid excretion, which makes it understandable why alcohol consumption should be significantly reduced in cases of hyperuricemia or gout. In addition, the diet should be changed.

Other effects of wine

Increase of the oestrogen level (reduction of the risk of osteoporosis)
Stimulation of the mind
Stimulation of the digestion
Reduction of the risk of cancer

Wine, especially alcohol, is capable of interfering with the hormonal balance of humans. The increased production of oestrogen in both women and men is well known. A reduced oestrogen level leads to the danger of osteoporosis in women of advanced age (after the end of their period) - a decalcification of the bones, which can be accompanied by a significant loss of stability. Moderate wine consumption can slow down the development of osteoporosis.

Alcohol continues to increase production in the thyroid, pancreas and gonads. Just think of a candlelight dinner with his or her loved one, where a nice bottle of wine is a must: to lift the mood and libido for a nice evening.

A glass of champagne or wine may also appear positive in other situations. You often hear that you should have a glass of sparkling wine or wine before an exam. The alcohol causes the blood vessels to dilate (see above for the effect on the cardiovascular system). The brain is better supplied with blood and becomes more efficient (increased power of concentration). Not to forget: Wine has a calming effect on the stressed examination candidate. In addition, the lowered inhibition threshold promotes loquaciousness, although this does not always have to be an advantage.

Wine stimulates the digestive tract. The stomach releases more acid and the intestinal movements are promoted. This makes especially a heavy dinner much more tolerable.

In particular red wine, which contains considerably more phenol than white wine, can act as a protective factor against malignant tumours due to its antioxidant effect (radical scavenger).

Author of this article: Dr. Daniel Bulut (contact: DLB@gmx.net)

Further information on the Internet

Question 2

What negative effects does wine have on health?

Accepted Answer

Positive effects of wine consumption apply only to moderate wine consumption. Various sources say that about two glasses of wine per day should be considered as the upper limit, with slightly less for women and slightly more for men. However, these values are only rough guidelines. Other values may apply in individual cases, depending on certain pre-existing conditions. How much wine or alcohol is allowed for a specific person can only be determined by the doctor treating him!

Excessive wine consumption can reverse the positive effects, and the side effects are also becoming more and more prominent. Known risks and side effects include

Development of hepatitis, fatty liver and cirrhosis of the liver
Inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis)
increased risk of cardiovascular diseases
Lack of vitamins (important: vitamin B12) and nutrients
increased risk of stroke
psychological changes with mood swings, overestimation and increased risk of accidents
Nervous system disorders
Hormonal Disorders
Addiction, addiction
and counting

Author of this article: Dr. Daniel Bulut (contact: DLB@gmx.net)

Further information on the Internet

Question 3

Where does the headache come from with wine?

Accepted Answer

Headaches or a hangover after excessive wine consumption can have several causes, which also work together

One of the main causes is dehydration, i.e. lack of fluid. (Colloquially, "dehydration" is often spoken of in this context, but this term is wrong from a medical and professional point of view) Alcohol extracts water from the human body. Without a sufficient amount of water, however, the metabolism cannot function, and the body's reaction to a lack of water and minerals includes headaches.

Another cause is the toxin Acetaldehyde. It is produced during the breakdown of alcohol in the human body by the enzyme group of alcohol dehydrogenases(ADH), which are found in the liver and digestive tract. Acetaldehyde is a precursor of alcohol and is therefore formed both during its composition (during fermentation) and its degradation. In appropriate concentrations it causes headaches, nausea and vomiting.

Furthermore, headaches after excessive wine consumption can be caused by Fusel oils can be evoked. These substances are by-products of fermentation and are converted into so-called accompanying alcohols (fusel alcohols), which are in turn toxic. Unlike ethanol, most of these alcohols are not produced from sugar, but from amino acids (proteins).

In case of hypersensitivity or allergy to biogenic amines such as Histamine can also cause headaches after excessive wine consumption. Biogenic amines are protein degradation products that can be produced during fermentation. Favouring factors for this are, for example, malolactic fermentation (biological acid breakdown) or prolonged storage in wooden barrels. As these two methods of ageing are more frequently used for red wines than for white wines, red wines have higher amine values than white wines. If the degradation mechanism of the human body for histamine is disturbed, headaches can be the result when taking up biogenic amines.

The same applies to hypersensitivity or allergy to Sulphites . The vast majority of wines contain sulphites, as sulphur (sulphur dioxide) is added to them during the winemaking process to protect them from spoilage and make them last longer. Sulphur prevents the influence of oxygen and micro-organisms on the must and on the wine. In sensitive individuals, sulphites can cause asthma symptoms and/or headaches. Most people are able to process sulphites within the permissible quantities but without any health problems; usually the body converts sulphites into sulphates and excretes them.

Prevent headaches

To prevent headaches after excessive wine consumption, there are several possibilities - apart from moderate consumption:

Since alcohol deprives the body of water and minerals, you should drink enough water, preferably mineral water, with wine (not just afterwards, although even then) - at least the same amount as wine, better still, double it.
Fatty foods slow down the absorption of alcohol in the body. You should therefore always eat enough with wine.
The simultaneous consumption of different alcoholic beverages (wine, beer, spirits) increases the risk of headaches and hangover symptoms. Especially high-proof alcoholic drinks are risky here. Therefore, you should not drink in disorder, if possible, but stick to wine and/or sparkling wine once you have started.
To avoid headaches the next morning after a winy evening, it helps to take a headache tablet (with plenty of water) before going to bed. The pain-relieving effect can then already begin to unfold as soon as the state of intoxication subsides and the breakdown of alcohol begins.

Question 4

How many calories does wine have?

Accepted Answer

The calorie content of a wine depends on its Alcohol content and his Residual sugar content.

As a very rough, generalized guideline , one glass (200 ml) of dry wine has about 150,000 calories or 150 kilocalories or 630 kilojoules.

This value increases with increasing alcohol and/or residual sugar content. That means:

Rich, alcohol-rich wines have more calories than light, low-alcohol wines.
Residual sweetness and noble sweet wines have more calories than dry wines.

Calories and kilocalories as a unit of measurement

Calorie (cal) or kilocalorie (kcal = 1000 cal) is a unit for measuring energy, especially heat. In principle, the following applies: 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under certain specified conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure. Another unit for this is Joule (J) or Kilojoule (kJ), where: 1 cal ≈ 4.1868 J and 1 J ≈ 0.239 cal.

In the case of foodstuffs and luxury foods, the physiological calorific value is given in kcal or kJ - always in relation to a defined quantity. Pure alcohol has an energy value of 7.1 kilocalories per gram (kcal/g), sugar has an energy value of 4 kilocalories per gram. In order to determine the calorie content of a wine as accurately as possible, its alcohol content and its residual sugar content must be known.

Determining the residual sugar content

The residual sugar content of a wine is measured in grams per litre (g/l) and is ideally declared by the producer, but does not have to appear on the bottle label. If it cannot be found out, it is helpful to indicate the taste on the label:

If no taste is indicated for German wines, the wine is not dry; this means that it usually has more than 10, often even more than 20 g/l residual sugar. In all other countries, a wine for which no flavour is indicated on the label is dry.

The following table should give a simple overview:

Residual sugar content in grams per litre	Residual sugar content in grams per bottle (0.75 l)	Residual sugar content in grams per glass (0.2 l)
2	1,5	0,4
4	3,0	0,8
9	6,75	1,8
15	11,25	3,0
18	13,5	3,6
25	18,75	5,0
45	20,25	9,0
100	75,0	20,0
200	150,0	40,0
300	225,0	60,0

Determination of the alcoholic strength by volume

The alcoholic strength by volume of a wine must be indicated on the label and this is expressed in the unit volume percent (% vol.). However, in order to determine the calorie content, the quantity of pure alcohol in relation to the quantity of liquid must be known. The following information is required for this purpose:

the quantity of liquid, i.e. the quantity of wine in litres (l) or millilitres (ml = 0,001 l)
the alcoholic strength by volume (% vol.) as indicated on the label
the specific gravity of alcohol, namely 0,8 g/ml

These values can then be used in the following equation
Alcohol content (in g) = amount of liquid (in ml) x (% by volume / 100) x 0.8

Example calculation for a bottle (750 ml = 0.75 l) of wine with 13% alcohol by volume
750 x (13 / 100) x 0.8 = 78 g pure alcohol

Example calculation for a glass (200 ml = 0.2 l) of wine with 13% alcohol by volume
200 x (13 / 100) x 0.8 = 20.8 g pure alcohol

Again, the following table should provide a simple overview:

Alcohol content in % by volume as per label	pure alcohol in grams per bottle (0.75 l)	pure alcohol in grams per glass (0.2 l)
8,0	48	12,8
8,5	51	13,6
9,0	54	14,4
9,5	57	15,2
10,0	60	16,0
10,5	63	16.8
11,9	66	17,6
11,5	69	18,4
12,0	72	19,2
12,5	75	20,0
13,0	78	20,8
13,5	81	21,6
14,0	84	22,4
14,5	87	23,2
15,0	90	24,0
15,5	93	24,8

Determination of the calorie content

Since the calorific values of alcohol and sugar are known (see above), the quantities can now be used to determine the calorie content of a wine.

Example calculation per bottle:

750 ml wine (= 0.75 l = one bottle)
13 % alcohol by volume = 78 g pure alcohol per 750 ml
5 g/l residual sugar = 3.75 g sugar relative to 750 ml
Calorific value alcohol: 7,1 kcal/g
Energy value sugar: 4 kcal/g

(78 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (3.75 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 553.8 kcal + 15 kcal = 568.8 kcal

Example calculation per glass:

200 ml wine (= 0.2 l = one glass)
13% alcohol by volume = 20.8 g pure alcohol per 200 ml
5 g/l residual sugar = 1 g sugar relative to 200 ml
Calorific value alcohol: 7,1 kcal/g
Energy value sugar: 4 kcal/g

(20.8 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (1 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 147.68 kcal + 4 kcal = 151.68 kcal

A 0.2 litre glass of medium strength, dry wine therefore has around 150 kcal.

Overview table

The combination of the two tables above gives the following rounded calorie values (in kcal) for a 0.2 litre glass of wine with the relevant alcohol and residual sugar content (Alk. = alcohol in vol.%; Restz. = residual sugar in g/l), whereby the combination of very low and very high values occurs only extremely rarely or is practically impossible:

Alk. / Residual sugar	2	4	9	15	18	25	45	100	200	300
8,0	92	94	98	103	105	111	127	171	251	331
8,5	98	100	104	109	111	117	133	177	257	337
9,0	104	106	109	114	117	122	138	182	262	342
9,5	110	111	115	120	122	128	144	188	268	348
10,0	115	117	121	126	128	134	150	194	274	354
10,5	121	122	126	131	134	139	155	199	279	359
11,0	127	128	132	137	139	145	161	205	285	365
11,5	132	134	138	143	145	151	167	211	291	371
12,0	138	140	144	148	151	156	172	216	296	376
12,5	142	145	149	154	156	162	178	222	302	382
13,0	149	151	155	160	162	168	184	228	308	388
13,5	155	157	161	165	168	173	189	233	313	393
14,0	161	162	166	171	173	179	195	239	319	399
14,5	166	168	172	177	179	185	210	245	325	405
15,0	172	174	178	182	185	190	206	250	330	410
15,5	178	179	183	188	190	196	212	256	336	416

Question 5

How many calories are in a glass of wine?

Accepted Answer

The calorie content of a wine depends on its Alcohol content and his Residual sugar content.

As a very rough, generalized guideline, one glass (200 ml) of medium-strength, dry wine has about 150,000 calories or 150 kilocalories or 630 kilojoules.

Some explanations:

Calorie (cal) or kilocalorie (kcal = 1000 cal) is a unit for measuring energy, especially heat. In principle, the following applies: 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under certain specified conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure. Another unit for this is Joule (J) or Kilojoule (kJ), where: 1 cal ≈ 4.1868 J and 1 J ≈ 0.239 cal.
The guide value given applies to a representative example wine with 13% alcohol by volume and 5 grams of residual sugar per litre (the "dry" taste includes a residual sugar content of 0.1 to 9 g/l)

The calorie content increases with increasing alcohol and/or residual sugar content. This means:

The combination of alcohol and residual sugar values in a table provides the following rounded calorie values (in kcal) for a 0.2-litre glass of wine with the relevant alcohol and residual sugar content (Alk. = alcohol in vol.%; Restz. = residual sugar in g/l), whereby the combination of very low and very high values occurs only extremely rarely or is practically impossible:

Alk. / Residual sugar	2	4	9	15	18	25	45	100	200	300
8,0	92	94	98	103	105	111	127	171	251	331
8,5	98	100	104	109	111	117	133	177	257	337
9,0	104	106	109	114	117	122	138	182	262	342
9,5	110	111	115	120	122	128	144	188	268	348
10,0	115	117	121	126	128	134	150	194	274	354
10,5	121	122	126	131	134	139	155	199	279	359
11,0	127	128	132	137	139	145	161	205	285	365
11,5	132	134	138	143	145	151	167	211	291	371
12,0	138	140	144	148	151	156	172	216	296	376
12,5	142	145	149	154	156	162	178	222	302	382
13,0	149	151	155	160	162	168	184	228	308	388
13,5	155	157	161	165	168	173	189	233	313	393
14,0	161	162	166	171	173	179	195	239	319	399
14,5	166	168	172	177	179	185	210	245	325	405
15,0	172	174	178	182	185	190	206	250	330	410
15,5	178	179	183	188	190	196	212	256	336	416

More detailed information on the determination of alcohol, residual sugar, calorie and calorie values in wine can be found in the article: How many calories does wine have?

Question 6

How many calories are in a bottle of wine?

Accepted Answer

The calorie content of a wine depends on its Alcohol content and his Residual sugar content.

As a very rough, generalized guideline, one bottle (750 ml) of medium strength, dry wine has about 570,000 calories or 570 kilocalories or 2,385 kilojoules.

Here are some explanations:

Calorie (cal) or kilocalorie (kcal = 1000 cal) is a unit for measuring energy, especially heat. In principle, the following applies: 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under certain specified conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure. Another unit for this is Joule (J) or Kilojoule (kJ), where: 1 cal ≈ 4.1868 J and 1 J ≈ 0.239 cal.
The guide value given applies to a representative example wine with 13% alcohol by volume and 5 grams of residual sugar per litre (the "dry" taste includes a residual sugar content of 0.1 to 9 g/l)

The calorie content increases with increasing alcohol and/or residual sugar content. This means:

Rich, alcohol-rich wines have more calories than light, low-alcohol wines.
Residual sweet and noble sweet wines have more calories than dry wines.

More detailed information on determining the alcohol, residual sugar and calorie content of wine can be found in the article: How many calories does wine have?

Question 7

What has more calories: Beer or wine?

Accepted Answer

Calorie (cal) or kilocalorie (kcal = 1000 cal) is a unit for measuring energy, especially heat. In principle, the following applies: 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under certain specified conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure. Another unit for this is Joule (J) or Kilojoule (kJ), where: 1 cal ≈ 4.1868 J and 1 J ≈ 0.239 cal.

The calorie content of a drink such as beer or wine depends mainly on its alcohol content and its residual sugar content. The following applies:

Beer has an average alcohol content of 5 percent by volume (vol.%) and contains no sugar.
Wine can have an alcohol content between 8 and over 15 percent by volume and a residual sugar content of almost 0 to over 300 grams per litre. As a representative guide value for a dry wine, an alcohol content of 13 percent by volume and a residual sugar content of 5 grams per litre can be assumed.

Conversion of the alcohol content

First, the alcohol content must be converted from volume percent to grams. This is done using the following equation (g = gram, ml = millilitre):

Alcohol content (in g) = amount of liquid (in ml) x (volume % / 100) x 0.8

Thus the following alcohol values in grams are obtained for beer and wine, based on the same amount of liquid of 300 ml (one glass of beer = 0.3 l):

Beer
300 x (5 / 100) x 0.8 = 12 g pure alcohol

Wine
300 x (13 / 100) x 0.8 = 31.2 g pure alcohol

If the wine contains 5 grams of residual sugar per litre, 300 ml of that wine will contain 1,5 grams of residual sugar.

Calculation of the calorie content

To calculate the calorie content, these alcohol and residual sugar values for beer and wine are now related to the calorific values of alcohol (7.1 kcal/g) and sugar (4 kcal/g):

Beer
(12 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (0 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 85.2 kcal + 0 kcal = 85.2 kcal

Wine
(31.5 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (1.5 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 223.65 kcal + 6 kcal = 229.65 kcal

With increasing alcohol and/or residual sugar content, the calorie content of wine even increases.

The result is therefore clear: Wine has more calories than beer - on average more than two and a half times as many, and particularly high in calories are residual sweet and/or high alcohol wines.

Question 8

What has more calories: Wine or beer?

Accepted Answer

Calorie (cal) or kilocalorie (kcal = 1000 cal) is a unit for measuring energy, especially heat. In principle, the following applies: 1 calorie is the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius under certain specified conditions such as ambient temperature and pressure. Another unit for this is Joule (J) or Kilojoule (kJ), where: 1 cal ≈ 4.1868 J and 1 J ≈ 0.239 cal.

The calorie content of a drink such as wine or beer depends essentially on its alcohol content and its residual sugar content. The following applies:

Wine can have an alcohol content of between 8 and over 15 percent by volume (vol.%) and a residual sugar content of almost 0 to over 300 grams per litre. As a representative guide value for a dry wine, an alcohol content of 13 percent by volume and a residual sugar content of 5 grams per litre can be assumed.
Beer has an average alcohol content of 5 percent by volume and contains no sugar.

Conversion of the alcohol content

First, the alcohol content must be converted from volume percent to grams. This is done using the following equation (g = gram, ml = millilitre):

Alcohol content (in g) = amount of liquid (in ml) x (volume % / 100) x 0.8

Thus the following alcohol values in grams are obtained for wine and beer, based on the same amount of liquid of 200 ml (one glass of wine = 0.2 l):

Wine
200 x (13 / 100) x 0.8 = 20.8 g pure alcohol

Beer
200 x (5 / 100) x 0.8 = 8 g pure alcohol

Calculation of the calorie content

If the wine contains 5 grams of residual sugar per litre, 200 ml of this wine will contain 1 gram of residual sugar.

To calculate the calorie content, these alcohol and residual sugar values for wine and beer are now related to the calorific values of alcohol (7.1 kcal/g) and sugar (4 kcal/g):

Wine
(20.8 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (1 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 147.68 kcal + 4 kcal = 151.68 kcal

Beer
(8 g alcohol x 7.1 kcal) + (0 g residual sugar x 4 kcal) = 56.8 kcal + 0 kcal = 56.8 kcal

With increasing alcohol and/or residual sugar content, the calorie content of wine even increases.

The result is therefore clear: Wine has more calories than beer - on average more than two and a half times as many, and particularly high in calories are residual sweet and/or high alcohol wines.

Question 9

How many parts per thousand are in a glass of wine?

Accepted Answer

Wine itself has no alcohol content. It contains alcohol, which is expressed in percent by volume (Vol.-%). (For details see the question "What percentage of alcohol does wine contain?")

Per mille (‰) is the concentration of alcohol in human blood after consumption of alcoholic beverages. Here a Blood alcohol concentration (BAK) of 1 ‰ that 1 kilogram of blood contains 1 gram of pure alcohol.

The blood alcohol concentration can be calculated using the so-called Widmark formula. The decisive factors here are body weight and the proportion of body fluid, which is different for men and women; for men it is about 68 percent and for women about 55 percent.

It is also important to know the alcohol content and the quantity of the drink consumed. A glass of wine usually corresponds to 0.2 litres (200 ml) content, and as a guide value for a dry wine, an alcohol content of 13 percent by volume can be assumed.

Calculation of the alcoholic strength

This alcohol content must now first be converted from volume percent to grams of pure alcohol. This is done using the following equation (g = gram, ml = millilitre):

Alcohol content (in g) = amount of liquid (in ml) x (volume % / 100) x 0.8

If the corresponding values (200 ml and 13 % by volume) are entered here, the result is: 200 x (13 / 100) x 0.8 = 20.8 g

This results in a content of 20.8 g of pure alcohol for one glass of the representative example wine.

Calculation of the per mille value

This alcohol value as well as the information on body weight and body fluid percentage can then be entered into the Widmark formula for the BAK calculation. This formula uses the above-mentioned flat-rate values for the body fluid percentage for men and women, given as decimal numbers (68% = 0.68; 55% = 0.55):

BAK (‰) = alcohol (g) / (body weight (kg) x body fluid percentage

For a man weighing 70 kilograms, the BAC value after drinking a glass of wine is around 0.44 per thousand, and for a woman of the same weight, the BAC value is around 0.54 per thousand
20.8 g / 70 kg x 0.68 = 0.44 ‰
20.8 g / 70 kg x 0.55 = 0.54 ‰

The alcohol content of a glass of wine increases the higher the alcohol content and decreases the higher the body weight.

For an exact calculation of the BAC value, the so-called absorption deficit must also be taken into account, because the body's alcohol intake (absorption) also depends on the drinking speed and the contents of the stomach. In addition, the body continuously breaks down alcohol (about 0.1 to 0.2 per thousand per hour).

In principle, it is strongly recommended that anyone who has drunk alcohol (even if only a glass of wine) should not drive a vehicle - neither a car (let alone a truck or bus) nor a motorcycle or bicycle. According to German law, a relative unfitness to drive can exist from as little as 0.3 per mille; from 0.5 per mille, driving a vehicle is an administrative offence in any case; from 1.1 per mille, absolute unfitness to drive exists. Therefore: Don't drink and drive!

Question 10

How long does it take a bottle of wine to degrade?

Accepted Answer

The human body breaks down an average of about 0.15 per thousand alcohol per hour. In per mille (‰) the Blood alcohol concentration (BAK) is measured.

How long it takes to reduce the blood alcohol level after drinking a bottle of wine depends on the size of the bottle, the alcohol content of the wine, the period of consumption, the stomach contents and the physical constitution (especially weight) of the person concerned. In this respect, it is very difficult to make a general statement on this question.

A bottle of wine usually contains 0.75 litres (750 ml). As a guide value for a dry wine, an alcohol content of 13 percent by volume can be assumed, which corresponds to 78 grams of pure alcohol (for details see the question "How many calories does wine have?").

For a body weight of 70 kilograms, this results in a theoretical BAC value of 1.64 per mille for a man and 2.03 per mille for a woman (for details see the question "How many per mille is a glass of wine?") - theoretically under the condition that the alcohol is immediately and completely absorbed by the body and the breakdown does not begin during consumption. However, these two conditions are not met: The alcohol is consumed successively (in sips and with interruptions over a certain period of time) and only gradually enters the bloodstream (absorption deficit), and degradation begins immediately after intake.

If we assume - not least for mathematical reasons - a BAK value of 1.5 per mille after consumption of a bottle of wine, then the breakdown of this per mille value takes about ten hours. However, as already mentioned, this depends on a large number of factors and can vary greatly from case to case: both the underlying per mille value and the duration of the alcohol degradation.

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Wine and health

How healthy is wine? How much wine can one drink? What are the risks?

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Welcome back!

Wine and health

How healthy is wine? How much wine can one drink? What are the risks?

Categories

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS: