Before we begin, let us state that the U.S. Surgeon General considers no amount of alcohol safe, linking it to the development of at least seven types of cancer. However, many of us enjoy the occasional glass of wine, and some even point to the purported health benefits of moderate red wine consumption.
According to Mayo Clinic, "Antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols may help protect the lining of blood vessels in the heart." Specifically, some research shows that a polyphenol called resveratrol (which comes from the skin of grapes, used to make red wine but not white) may help lower LDL "bad" cholesterol and prevent blood clots. Research has also shown that resveratrol could have anti-cancer properties and may act as an anti-inflammatory.
Altogether, this leads many people to choose red wine over white wine. However, new research suggests that red wine does not protect against cancer and that there is "no significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall"—with a few major exceptions.
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A new study suggests that red wine isn't healthier than white wine when it comes to cancer prevention.
A study published in the journal Nutrients is the result of researchers from the Brown University School of Public Health analyzing 42 observational studies involving nearly 96,000 participants. All of the studies looked at the effects of red wine versus white wine on cancer risk. According to a press release, the results revealed two main takeaways:
- There is no clear evidence that red wine mitigates cancer risk
- There is no overall increase to cancer risk from consuming wine, regardless of type
But there are a few exceptions.
However, the researchers found that, compared to red wine, white wine was associated with a 22 percent increased risk of skin cancer.
Previous research has linked white wine and invasive melanoma and suggested that it could be due to acetaldehyde, a cancer-causing compound created when the liver breaks down alcohol that makes the skin more sensitive to UV light. "However, it may not explain why white wine specifically was associated with skin cancer risk," notes the recent study.
The researchers also found that white wine intake was associated with a statistically significant 26 percent higher risk of cancer among women. Red wine, on the other hand, showed a 9 percent lower cancer risk among women, which isn't considered significant.
Finally, they found that both red and white wine were associated with increased breast cancer risk, "which may suggest that resveratrol is not a significant factor in breast carcinogenesis," according to the study.
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Wine may still offer cardiovascular benefits.
As for wine's often-touted cardiovascular benefits, separate research suggests this may, in fact, be true.
According to a recent study published in the European Heart Journal, drinking between half a glass of wine and a full glass of wine a day with meals reduces the risk of having a cardiovascular complication by 50 percent.
However, when excess wine is consumed or when wine is drunk between meals, "the protective effect disappears."
"There is no doubt that excessive alcohol consumption has serious health consequences," the researchers said in a statement. "However, the effects of moderate and responsible wine consumption are still the subject of debate in the scientific community. The results of this study and others should help to place moderate wine consumption in its rightful place as an element of the Mediterranean diet, considered to be the healthiest in the world."
So, should you drink wine in moderation?
As the Nutrients study notes, "Alcohol—specifically, the ethanol in alcoholic beverages—metabolizes into compounds that damage DNA and proteins, contributing to cancer risk. In 2020, excessive alcohol consumption was linked to more than 740,000 cancer cases worldwide, accounting for 4.1% of all cases."
However, wine, when consumed in moderation, may offer cardiovascular benefits—though white wine may increase one's risk of skin cancer.
