A glass of wine a day keeps the doctor away – or does it? From the French to Sardinia, the cultures where people tend to drink wine every day famously low (Opens in a new tab) Heart disease rates and live longer (Opens in a new tab), on average, than Americans do. But does drinking wine actually help you live longer?
The belief that a daily glass of wine is responsible for the health and longevity of those living in food cultures focused on wine dates back to 1992 paper (Opens in a new tab) who called this phenomenon the “French Paradox,” referring to wine as an explanation. Today, however, our understanding of wine and its health effects is more accurate. There is some evidence that drinking wine protects against some health conditions, but the evidence that it leads to a longer life is weak, said Adrian Baranchuk, MD, professor of cardiology at Queen’s University School of Medicine in Ontario. “Alcohol studies are limited in their design,” he said.
For starters, much of the research on red wine and mortality doesn’t focus on the wine itself. Instead, the research looks at the health effects of polyphenols, a type of… Antioxidants in wine. This chemical shield cells from damage caused by unstable molecules called free radicals, which are linked to heart disease and cancer Dangerous, and it has been suggested as one possible reason for the purported positive health effects of wine.
Related: Is champagne stronger than non-bubbling alcoholic drinks?
When an international team of researchers compiled and analyzed the results of 22 studies as a whole, they found that people who consumed 800 milligrams of flavonoids — a type of polyphenol found in wine, as well as most fruits and vegetables — per day had a 24% lower risk of death during the study period. with those who did not consume flavonoids. Their results for 2017, published in American Journal of Epidemiology (Opens in a new tab)This difference was found to be reduced by 6% for every 100 milligram decrease in flavonoid consumption. (For example, people who consumed only 700 milligrams were 18% less likely to die.)
The problem is that 800 milligrams is a lot of flavonoids. “You have to drink gallons and gallons of wine to benefit,” said Bill Klein, associate director of the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Behavioral Research Program. Klein studies behavioral risk factors for cancer and has published papers on the health effects of alcohol. In one study published in 2001 in Nutrition Journal (Opens in a new tab)In this study, participants who consumed 750 milliliters of wine (about four 6-ounce glasses) consumed only about 24 milligrams of dietary flavonoids. Based on this result, to get 800 milligrams per day, you would need to drink 133 glasses of wine. Additionally, there are other potentially healthier sources of polyphenols: A Nutrition Journal study found that participants ate more polyphenols when they ate. Onions.
There is some evidence that drinking moderate amounts of wine is good for heart health, Baranchuk said. About two cups, five days a week for men or one cup, five days a week for women – guiding rules (Opens in a new tab) Recommended by the American Heart Association – seems to raise good cholesterolReduces the risk of blood clots, helps prevent artery He said the damage was caused by bad cholesterol, and the improved function of the layer of cells that line blood vessels compared to those who don’t drink at all.
Part of this benefit to cardiovascular health may be due to the effects of polyphenols, he wrote in a 2017 review on the topic published in the journal. Rotation (Opens in a new tab). But Baranchuk said these benefits are likely attributable to the ethanol found in all alcoholic beverages. An analysis combining the results of 42 studies found that 30 milligrams of ethanol per day (about two drinks (Opens in a new tab)) increases HDL cholesterol (the good kind) and apolipoprotein AI, a major protein found in HDL. However, Baranchuk said, “All of these benefits are mitigated first and then reversed if you drink more than recommended.”
Is a glass of wine a day bad for you?
The problem is that heart disease is not the only factor in health and longevity. The alcohol in wine may nullify any benefit of the polyphenols. “Unfortunately, there is not much evidence that alcohol provides a protective effect,” Klein said. “There is a lot of evidence that it’s a risk factor.”
While the evidence that wine lowers mortality over a given time period is scant, there is weak evidence very strong Evidence (Opens in a new tab) link any amount of alcohol for breast cancer, liver cancer, prostate Cancer and cirrhosis of the liver, among other diseases. That’s because alcohol changes the way the body processes estrogen, Klein said, causing levels of that hormone to rise. Another possible explanation: Acetaldehyde, a by-product of the breakdown of alcohol in the body, has been shown to cause DNA ruin.
After all, if you’re not in the habit of drinking a glass of wine a day, or if you just prefer beer, there’s no reason to make this habit for your heart’s health. Instead, try yoga or meditation, Baranchuk said, because “they both have a way more solid (Opens in a new tab) Evidence (Opens in a new tab) what alcohol contains.
If you already enjoy a glass of wine most nights, and you’re unsure of the effects your habit will have on your health, see your doctor—especially if you have any underlying health conditions. But for most people who drink in moderation, Baranchuk said, there’s no point in stopping. “We weigh the pros and cons of risks all the time,” he said. “For example, let’s say your office is 25 minutes from your house. Driving that 25 minutes increases the death rate by 0.005%. Would you say, ‘I’m not going to work anymore even though I love my job and this brings in income?'” You say, I accept this risk.”
Originally published on Live Science.