Study questions the health benefits of red wine over white wine

A typical notion is that not all alcoholic drinks are alike. Purple wine, for example, is usually thought of a more healthy selection, with many believing its excessive resveratrol content material – an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties – provides safety towards most cancers. Researchers from the Brown College Faculty of Public Well being, nonetheless, have put this assumption to the check.

In a brand new a research, the researchers in contrast most cancers dangers related to crimson and white wine. Analyzing 42 observational research involving almost 96,000 individuals, the crew – co-led by Eunyoung Cho, an affiliate professor of epidemiology and of dermatology at Brown – discovered no clear proof that crimson wine mitigates most cancers danger. The research additionally discovered no general improve to most cancers danger from consuming wine no matter kind.

We performed a complete meta-analysis to evaluate whether or not crimson wine is actually a more healthy selection than white wine. Our evaluation included as many printed epidemiological research as doable that individually explored the connection between crimson and white wine consumption and most cancers danger. The outcomes revealed no important distinction in most cancers danger between crimson and white wine general. Nonetheless, we did observe a distinction when it got here to pores and skin most cancers danger. Particularly, the consumption of white wine, however not crimson wine, was related to an elevated danger of pores and skin most cancers.”

Eunyoung Cho, affiliate professor of epidemiology and of dermatology, Brown College

In truth, the researchers calculated a 22% elevated danger of pores and skin most cancers related to white wine in comparison with crimson wine. The explanations for this stay unclear. Researchers counsel that heavy consumption of wine could correlate to high-risk behaviors, equivalent to indoor tanning and insufficient sunscreen use. Nonetheless, it’s unclear why white wine, specifically, is the wrongdoer.

The research additionally discovered a stronger affiliation between white wine consumption and elevated general most cancers danger amongst ladies. This discovering warrants additional investigations into potential underlying mechanisms.

The meta-analysis finished by the crew is the primary research of its sort and challenges the assumption that crimson wine is more healthy than white. It additionally factors to the necessity for additional research into the affiliation between white wine consumption and most cancers danger, notably in ladies.

Alcohol – particularly, the ethanol in alcoholic drinks – metabolizes into compounds that harm DNA and proteins, contributing to most cancers danger. In 2020, extreme alcohol consumption was linked to greater than 740,000 most cancers instances worldwide, accounting for 4.1% of all instances.