12/03/2013
To Your Health: Saké Is Good For You
1.Saké contains no sulfites.
Unlike wine, beer, and orange juice (which we love, one and all!), saké is sulfite-free. About 1% of the general population and 5% of asthmatics suffer a reaction from sulfites, often resulting in severe headaches. If this sounds like you or someone you know, give premium saké a try! You’ll be glad you did!!
2.Saké has a much lower acidity than wine.
Saké has only about 1/3 as much acid as wine, so there’s no tendency for reflux and the “sour stomach” one can experience after drinking wine. Easy on the throat and stomach, premium saké goes down smooth and easy.
3.Saké may help prevent cancer.
According to a 10-year study, in which he compared Japan’s low death rate from cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer to that of other countries, Akita (Japan) University’s Dr. Takizawa concluded that the person who drinks saké moderately every day has a low risk of being diagnosed with such cancer.
4.Saké may help prevent heart disease.
Heart disease symptoms such as angina pectoris, as well as heart attacks, are due to atherosclerosis (hardening) of the arteries. This atherosclerosis is hastened by increased cholesterol. The balance of good cholesterol (HDL) and bad cholesterol (LDL) is the key to preventing the development of atherosclerosis. Even if one’s total cholesterol is high, he can reduce the risk of getting atherosclerosis by increasing good cholesterol, which loosens the bad cholesterol sticking to blood vessels and takes it to the liver. Several studies show that components from saké increase good cholesterol. In a study conducted by Dr. Watanabe from the Advanced Age Disease Research Institute in Japan, he compared males between the ages of 40 and 59. Among those who don’t drink saké at all, those who drink saké occasionally, those drinking less than 12 oz. of saké a day, and those drinking more than 12 oz. of saké every day, he found the most good cholesterol in the group of people who drink more than 12 oz. of saké every day.
5.Saké may help prevent diabetes.
There is reason to believe there is a component in saké that actually lowers the sugar level in the blood, similar to insulin. Diabetes is a disease that increases the sugar level in the blood due to an insufficiency of the hormone insulin, which converts sugar in the blood to energy. Professor Okuda from the Medical Department of Ehime University in Japan conducted research to study the connection between saké and diabetes. He injected a distilled extract of saké lees (produced after pressing the saké mash to get clear sake), into fat cells to see the reaction. He found that a component in saké lees allows fat cells to absorb blood sugar, thus lowering the level of sugar in the blood. This insulin-like substance in saké lees contains adenosine, which promotes dilation of the arteries.
Given the choice between a shot of insulin and a shot of saké, we’ll take the saké!