Let’s get one thing straight from the get-go. We are not advocating drinking alcohol if you are a teetotaler. What we are trying to do is make sense out of conflicting headlines. Over the last few months there have been crazy-making research reports about both the benefits and risks of moderate alcohol consumption. Some articles state unequivocally that alcohol is bad for your health, full stop! Others say alcohol improves longevity. A new meta-analysis asks specifically if a little wine is good for the cardiovascular system. The answer appears to be yes.
The J-Shaped Curve Proved Wine is Good:
When I was in graduate school over 50 years ago I was taught about the J-shaped curve. The professor of pharmacology who was giving that lecture drew a giant J on the blackboard. He used red wine for his drug demonstration.
On the vertical axis he listed mortality. On the horizontal axis he listed “dose” of wine. He compared the left side of the J to the bottom and the top of the right side of the J. The people who drank no alcohol were on the far left side. They had a higher death rate than those at the bottom of the J. Moderate wine drinkers lived the longest. As the amount of wine increased, so did the mortality rate. Those at the high right side of the J had the worst mortality stats.
The conclusion was that some wine is good for longevity. Too much hastened death. No wine at all was “riskier” than a little. Not surprisingly, my grad-student colleagues were much impressed by this demonstration of the J-shaped curve.
Confusing Headlines: Wine is Good…or Bad?
To read about the recent alcohol research you may wish to click on this link. It is our review of confusing and contradictory alcohol studies.
The most recent research was published in the journal Nutrients (June 17, 2023). The title is:
The authors explain their goals:
“The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was: (i) to examine the association between wine consumption and cardiovascular mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and coronary heart disease (CHD) and (ii) to analyse whether this association could be influenced by personal and study factors, including the participants’ mean age, the percentage of female subjects, follow-up time and percentage of current smokers.”
In introducing their research, these investigators point out that heavy drinking is linked to millions of deaths each year and contributes to over 200 diseases. That reinforces the top of the J described above.
They also point out that:
“Light to moderate alcohol use also lowers the prevalence of ischemic heart disease and improves the prognosis of people at risk of additional coronary events that could result in myocardial infarction [heart attack].”
How Did They Determine If Wine Is Good?
These investigators go on to point out that not all alcoholic beverages are created equal:
“It seems that all alcohol does not have the same effect. There is controversy in the existing evidence as to which beverage could be less harmful to CVD [cardiovascular disease]; nevertheless, if stratifying by alcoholic beverage intake, a positive effect has been observed between wine and nonfatal CHD [coronary heart disease], whereas drinking beer is linked to a higher risk of a non-fatal stroke. According to this evidence, several of the components in wine, including but not limited to water, carbohydrates, organic acids, minerals, alcohol, and aromatic substances, may be beneficial to health.”
What They Found:
According to the analysis of data from 25 studies, people who drink wine are less likely to experience cardiovascular disease, heart disease or death due to cardiovascular disease. The relationship appeared to be strongest with red wine, which contains antioxidant polyphenols.
The authors conclude:
“There are current dietary recommendations that include wine consumption, as in the case of the Mediterranean diet. Given the findings of this meta-analysis, it would be interesting to suggest drinking wine as part of other dietary recommendations. Future research is needed to differentiate these effects by the type of wine.”
A Word of Caution:
Remember, too much alcohol in any form is bad! People often drink more than they think. The sweet spot is between 1 to 7 drinks a week! That is referred to as “light” drinking. And please keep in mind that alcohol can interact with many medications to cause more problems.
If you do not drink, do not start! No one should begin drinking based on this kind of research. If you have a glass of wine with dinner, the way many people in Italy or France do, that may be good for your heart. More than that, though, could be detrimental, especially as people age.
I think the jury is still out on the benefits and risks of other alcoholic beverages. Judging from our review of the pros and cons of alcohol at this link, there remain unanswered questions about the overall benefits of ethanol.
A glass of red wine, on the other hand, supplies lots of interesting polyphenolic compounds, including resveratrol. It has anti-inflammatory activity and is a powerful antioxidant. Resveratrol can also relax blood vessels and reduce platelet aggregation. That means it has anti-clotting action. It also prevents the oxidation of so-called bad LDL cholesterol.
The People’s Pharmacy Perspective on Whether Wine is Good:
We have been tracking the research on wine for decades. We think that a little wine is good for the cardiovascular system. Emphasis is on the word little. We believe that a glass of red wine with dinner is likely better than a glass of vodka on an empty stomach!
We suspect you have heard the message…”moderation in all things.” When it comes to wine, or other alcoholic beverages, that is especially true.
What do you think? Please share your perspective on wine in the comment section below.
