The benefit of drinking red wine you probably weren’t aware of

Who among us doesn't love a cheeky glass of red every now and again?

There's hardly a better way to spend a weekend night in front of the telly. As it turns out, that casual glass (or two) of Bordeaux could actually be strengthening our immune systems and helping us fight off serious infections. A new study reported in the Daily Mail has shown that the likes of red wine, tea, and berries are full of natural components called flavonoids. Research involving mice proved that while the test subjects could not stop the infection from being contracted, their immune systems were boosted enough to stop it from affecting their lung tissue. Author of the study Dr. Ashley Steed said that scientists have always thought that flavonoids have protective properties.

"Flavonoids are common in our diets, so an important implication of our study is that it's possible flavonoids work with gut microbes to protect us from flu and other viral infections. Obviously, we need to learn more, but our results are intriguing."

Other research has also suggested that the natural components can also help to treat erectile dysfunction. Just when you thought red wine couldn't get any better...