Do you need a reasonable excuse to drink at least one or two glasses of wine each night? How bout five (reasons, not glasses)? In addition to catching a nice buzz and increasing your levels of wittiness, drinking red wine every night brings some very legit health benefits. Plenty of studies explore the health benefits of moderate red wine consumption, and the wise folks at Oregon State’s College of Agricultural Studies observed some of the most promising ones in the The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.

For those of us who don’t have a degree in biochemistry, we broke down some of their findings in a language you can understand.

1. Protection Against Alzheimer’s: The antioxidant resveratrol shows a strong ability to protect against cell damage and curb the effects of age-related mental decline.
2. The New Workout Plan: While the act of raising a glass to your lips may burn a calorie or two, the real benefit comes from resveratrol yet again, which was shown to improve physical performance and muscle strength. It also shows similar cardiovascular enhancements as exercise. It should be noted that the benefits are limited, so don’t cancel your gym membership just yet.
3. Cancer Fighting: Researchers aren’t exactly sure how, but another active antioxidant in red wine known as quercetin works against cancer cells, according to the American Cancer Society. It helps to induce natural cell death in certain types of cancers, most often colon cancer.