By John Salak –
In the seemingly never-ending debate over whether wine in moderation is healthy, another voice has surfaced to report: forget what many have read. Red wine doesn’t fight cancer—there is no clear evidence that red wine mitigates the risk of cancer.
The study out of Brown University acknowledges that red wine is often considered a healthier choice than other alcohols because some believe its high resveratrol content—an antioxidant with anti-inflammatory properties—can help lower the risk of cancer. However, the Brown team concluded after analyzing 42 observational studies involving nearly 96,000 participants that there is no scientific evidence that red wine has anti-cancer benefits.
Fortunately, there was some good news for those who enjoy wine. The study also found no overall increase to cancer risk from consuming red or white wine.
“We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess whether red wine is truly a healthier choice than white wine,” reported Eunyoung Cho, the study’s co-leader and an associate professor at Brown. “Our analysis included as many published epidemiological studies as possible that separately explored the relationship between red and white wine consumption and cancer risk. The results revealed no significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall.”
The results did reveal a distinction when it came to skin cancer. The consumption of white wine specifically was associated with an increased risk of skin cancer. In fact, the researchers calculated a 22 percent increased risk of skin cancer associated with white wine when compared to red wine. The increased risk associated with white wine was stronger for women than men.
White wine itself may not generate an increased risk. Instead, researchers suggest that heavy consumption of wine may correlate to high-risk behaviors, such as indoor tanning and inadequate sunscreen use.
The research team’s meta-analysis is purported to be the first study of its kind and challenges the belief that red wine is healthier than white. The findings, particularly on the association between white wine and skin cancer, warrant additional study, the report stressed.
The university’s findings only serve to fuel the continued debate on the medicinal value of moderate to limited wine consumption. The ongoing debate is particularly confusing because it covers an extensive number of potential benefits from cancer to heart health. Just recently, in fact, WellWell reported on a wide-ranging European study that claimed light and moderate consumption of wine might cut the risk of cardiovascular complications by up to 50 percent. This study supported earlier work that wine is heart-healthy.
These earlier reports on the impact on heart health did not address whether any wine reduces the risk of developing cancer.
