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WINE FOR YOUR HEALTH: TRUTH AND MYTH

Cutting through the Clutter about Heart Health

The following outline formed a webinar that NCADD presented as part of Cigna’s Alcohol and Drug Awareness Series. The presentation focused on the impacts of wine as it relates to cancer and cardiac health, weighing out the benefits and the risks of drinking wine. Concrete suggestions were offered for making better overall health decisions.

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Presenters were:

Julia M. Dostal, PhD Executive Director, LEAF Council on Alcoholism & Addictions and NCADD-National Board Member
Robert Pezzolesi, MPH Founding Director, New York Alcohol Policy Alliance

Wine and heart health

Studies have shown that moderate consumption of wine may have cardiac benefits.

Raises HDL cholesterol (the "good" cholesterol)
Reduces the formation of blood clots
Helps prevent artery damage caused by LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol)
Produces changes in blood pressure

There are some important limitations to consider:

Health benefits do not seem to apply to African Americans and some other racial/ethnic groups
No health benefits for people under 40 years of age
Drinking pattern is important – cardio-protective effect disappears when light to moderate drinking is mixed with irregular, binge-drinking occasions
Heavy drinking can lead to serious cardiac problems, including cardiomyopathy

Resveratrol Claims

The key ingredient in wine research is resveratrol, a unique plant nutrient (also known as a phytonutrient)
Resveratrol acts as a plant estrogen in the body (much like soy products)

Resveratrol Research is now Questioned

Conducted on mice & rats
Studied at doses 100 to 1000 times more than in a serving of wine.
Non-alcoholic red wine appears to have as much resveratrol as its alcohol-containing counterpart
Does not have to be in a fermented beverage to act as an antioxidant
Some key resveratrol research was shown to be fraudulent

Sources of Resveratrol

Grapes
Grape Juice
Peanut Butter
Blueberries
Dark Chocolate
Cranberries

The wine drinker’s conundrum: what is “moderation?”

Moderation for Health

Two drinks or less per day for men - 10 ounces of wine
One drink or less per day for women - 5 ounces of wine

The greatest cardiovascular benefit of drinking wine for women appears to occur at:

1/3 of a serving of wine (about 1.6 oz) per day
Many liver specialists are recommending “days off” from drinking – even at light/moderate levels
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Wine: not an “equal opportunity” beverage

All alcohol (ethanol) impacts women differently than men
Not just a body mass issue
Hormone issue
Body fat issue

A woman’s increased risk of alcohol-related issues occurs at anything above one drink

Balancing the Risks for Women

Alcohol has a strong link to breast cancer and some other cancers
There are 20,000 alcohol-related cancer deaths in the US per year
60% of alcohol-related cancer deaths for women are breast cancer deaths (about 6,000)*
30% of alcohol-related breast cancers occurred in women drinking less than 1.5 servings per day* **

* Harvard School of Public Health, 2013

** “Saving up” all of your drinks for a special event increases risk

Why the Impact on Women?

Ethanol blocks the absorption of folate. Folate is protective against breast cancer.
Ethanol is a teratogen, but only in women.
Finally, ethanol is a Group A carcinogen – and because women tend to absorb alcohol more slowly, it stays in the body longer.

“Per glass of wine, ethanol is more than 100,000 times more potent than resveratrol"

Wine Consumption Recommendations for Women

5 oz of wine (or less) per day is considered low-risk if you:

Are not pregnant (or do not plan to become pregnant)
Don’t have an addiction or a family history of addiction
Are at very low risk for cancers of the breast, head/neck, liver, and colorectum
Have not had a gastric bypass
Do not have any other conflicting health conditions or take any conflicting medications
Currently drink alcohol
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Any amount of wine would considered high-risk if you:

Are pregnant or of child-bearing age (and sexually active)
Have an addiction or are in recovery
Have a family history of addiction
Have risk factors for - or a family history of - cancers of the breast, head/neck, liver, and colorectum
Have a gastric bypass
Have other conflicting health conditions or take any conflicting medications

Wine Consumption & Men’s Health

While men have a greater capacity for alcohol metabolism, there are some special risks:

Some effects on male reproductive system, especially at heavier drinking levels
“Accumulating” (but not definitive) evidence that alcohol may be risk factor for prostate cancer
Risk for cirrhosis of the liver with daily drinking
Greater risks for alcohol-related suicide

As with women, drinking is riskier if you:

The best advice from our friends at WHO/Europe and the Association of European Cancer Leagues: “Less is Better”
Have an addiction or are in recovery or have a family history of addiction
Have risk factors for - or a family history of - cancers of the breast, head/neck, liver, and colorectum
Have a gastric bypass
Have other conflicting health conditions or take any conflicting medications

All drinking confers some risk For Women & Men – “Less is Better” Recommended daily limits should NOT be interpreted as a “safe” baseline from which to range upward

The key may not be in the wine at all

Research shows that most people who drink in true moderation have other protective health indicators (“confounders”):

More likely to be active regularly
More likely to eat a healthier diet
More likely to have established social networks
More likely to engage in preventive healthcare

Thus, many epidemiologists are beginning to question the unqualified assertion that wine and other alcohol consumption is “heart healthy.” And… of course: If you do not currently drink alcohol, there is no health benefit to starting.