Is a glass of crimson wine a day good for coronary heart well being?

While consensus has emerged lately that no quantity of alcohol is nice for well being, the suggestion {that a} glass or two of crimson wine a day is helpful persists. A latest research by Irish and US scientists means that the flavonoid content material of crimson wine can shield older folks in opposition to fragility and poor psychological well being. The research reported attributes the advantages to the presence of flavonoids – natural compounds made by crops, which can be additionally current in different foods and drinks.1

‘A glass (of crimson wine) a day as a part of a weight loss program excessive in plant wealthy meals is prone to be good for wholesome ageing, however our outcomes counsel quite a lot of flavonoids are essential,’ stated Prof Aidín Cassidy of the Faculty of Organic Sciences at Queen’s College Belfast (QUB).

Examine individuals with the very best ‘flavodiet’ scores – who had increased intakes of crimson wine, tea, apples, blueberries and oranges – have been discovered to have decrease danger of age-related poor well being.

However do the flavonoids in crimson wine cancel out the opposite doubtlessly life-limiting impacts of consuming alcohol of any kind or hue?

By way of total well being, a scientific evaluation for the World Burden of Illness research 2016 confirmed that alcohol use seems to be the seventh main danger issue for demise globally, resulting in tens of millions of individuals dying yearly and leading to thrice extra wholesome years of life misplaced than all illicit drug use.2

There may be common consensus that binge-drinking, ingesting throughout being pregnant, and heavy ingesting are dangerous for you, however what about mild or ‘average’ ingesting?

Any alcohol consumption results in detoxing within the physique to acetic acid. This results in the formation of a poisonous intermediate, acetaldehyde, that could be a identified carcinogen and should clarify the elevated danger of a number of totally different cancers, together with breast and colorectal – even amongst mild drinkers who solely have as much as one alcoholic drink a day.3

There may be clear proof that alcohol is addictive and carcinogenic however what about its impression on coronary heart well being? In How To not Age (2023), Dr Michael Gregor discusses this in some element.

Alcohol does make stronger HDL ldl cholesterol, however excessive HDL all through a lifetime doesn’t seem to decrease coronary heart illness danger.4

Added to that, early proof of atherosclerosis, just like the thickening of the carotid arteries, appears to be lowest in those that fully abstain from alcohol.5

Research of coronary calcium scores present that basically, the decrease the alcohol consumption, the decrease the danger.6 Alcohol pushes up blood strain a bit too, which might be anticipated to boost, not decrease cardiac danger.

So the place did we get the concept that mild or average alcohol consumption was good for us? This got here from the much-cited J-curve.7

In giant populations, adopted over time, basically the extra folks consumed alcohol, the upper their danger of dying prematurely. Nonetheless, these with the bottom danger, those that tended to reside the longest, weren’t the abstainersc, however those that consumed a number of drinks per week.

The mortality versus degree of alcohol consumption curve, subsequently resembled the letter J, slightly than being a straight diagonal line up like upwards.

The ‘sick quitter’ impact arises from the misclassification of former drinkers as lifelong abstainers. The identical impact is seen in research of people who smoke and non-smokers that embrace those that stop smoking as non-smokers.

Dr Gregor suggests ‘it’s not that abstention led to poor well being however that poor well being led to abstention’.

When researchers managed for the error of misclassifying lifelong abstainers, the J-shaped curve disappeared. The linear relationship between alcohol consumption and each sickness and mortality was restored, with no safety at low ranges of consumption.8

However what about crimson wine and all these wholesome flavonoids?

A research over 20 years of older adults discovered that any obvious mortality advantages to ingesting average quantities of crimson wine appeared to vanish when variations in sociodemographic variables have been accounted for.9

‘The grape polyphenols in crimson wine have antioxidant properties when examined in isolation,’ Dr Gregor says, ‘however alcohol acts as a pro-oxidant, rising markers of oxidative harm inside hours of consumption.’

So, which wins out if you drink them collectively in wine? Crimson wine has short-term anti-oxidative results, however over a interval of weeks, consumption of wine, whether or not white or crimson, doesn’t cut back markers of oxidative harm – until the alcohol is eliminated.10

The research discovered that even when sugar is added to zero alcohol wine to make the calorie depend much like common crimson wine, a month of crimson wine consumption leads to extra oxidative harm than the identical crimson wine that has the alcohol eliminated.

Equally, non-alcoholic crimson wine lowers blood strain however common crimson wine doesn’t.11 Does this meant that ingesting zero alcohol wine is finest – to get the advantages of the polyphenols with out the oxidative damaging results of the alcohol?

A snack of crimson wine with cheese and crackers causes 5 occasions extra triglycerides to spill into the blood stream than the identical snack with water. Equally, zero alcohol wine doesn’t trigger fats to spill into the blood stream.12 Wine – each crimson and white – additionally raises inflammatory markers by 56 per cent (crimson) and 62 per cent (white)- a lot increased than sugary drinks (11 per cent).13

The proof means that this inflammatory response may clarify how zero alcohol wine improved artery perform, whereas crimson wine made issues worse.14

The newest recommendation from the WHO in 2023 is succinct – ‘no degree of alcohol consumption is secure for our well being,’ Regional Advisor for Alcohol, Illicit Medication and Jail Well being, Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges acknowledged.

“We can not not speak about a secure degree of alcohol use. It doesn’t matter how a lot you drink, the danger to the drinker’s well being begins from the primary drop of any alcoholic beverage.”

Simply to be clear these research embrace all types of alcohol carrying important well being dangers: together with crimson wine, white wine, rosé, spirits and any mixture of the above.

The World Coronary heart Federation in addition to the Irish Coronary heart Basis are very clear of their view that alcohol of any type or hue just isn’t good for coronary heart well being.

As we come nearer to the implementation of alcohol labelling in Could 2026, there’s mounting strain from the alcohol business to delay the implementation. One of many ways that’s getting used is to solid doubt on the clear proof round alcohol and ill-health. The continuing confusion concerning wine and coronary heart well being is a crucial a part of that image.

When you’ve got acquired into the behavior of a calming glass of crimson wine or two most evenings and have satisfied your self that it’s supporting your coronary heart well being, there’s now strong proof to counsel that this isn’t the case.

The very best factor we will do for our coronary heart well being is to maintain alcohol consumption of any variety to a minimal.

Creator
Dr Catherine Conlon is a public well being doctorand former director of human well being and diet, safefood.

References:

1. 1. 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2025.02.010
      2. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30146330/
      3. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25422909/
      4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22607825/
      5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28525540/
      6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15718478/
      7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28818200/
      8. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26997174/
      9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24588326/
      10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11295361/
      11. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22955728/
      12. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15530916/
      13. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15015143/
      14. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15585989/