ISHS Acta Horticulturae 754: International Workshop on Advances in Grapevine and Wine Research
SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF WINE |
| Author: | G. Mazza |
| Keywords: | alcohol, polyphenols, flavonoids, coronary heart disease, low-density lipoprotein oxidation, LDL, HDL, epidemiological evidence, in vitro studies, in vivo studies, clinical trials, anticarcinogenic, antioxidant capacity |
| Abstract:
A large number of epidemiological studies carried out since the early 1980s have shown that the consumption of wine, particularly of red wine, helps to prevent coronary heart disease and some cancers. Evidence from a recently published meta-analysis of 13 studies (involving 209,418 subjects) on the relationship between wine consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease has revealed an average significant reduction of 32% of overall vascular risk associated with moderate (1-2 drinks or 150-300 mL/day) versus no wine consumption. From 10 studies involving 176,042 persons there was strong evidence to support a J-shaped relationship between different amounts of wine intake and vascular risk, suggesting that light to moderate wine drinkers have lower vascular risk than either heavier drinkers or non-drinkers. Wines, especially red wines, contain about 1800-3000 mg/L of polyphenolic compounds, most of which are potent antioxidants and are therefore thought to function as cardioprotectives and anti-carcinogens. It has been shown that flavonoids (flavonols, anthocyanins, catechins and pro-anthocyanidins) as well as non-flavonoids from red wine strongly inhibit low-density lipoprotein oxidation, eicosanoid synthesis, and platelet aggregation, which are significant steps in reducing coronary heart disease mortality. For some polyphenols, an anticarcinogenic function has also been suggested, and a few studies in cell lines and animal models have shown that some wine polyphenols may affect molecular events in the initiation, promotion, and progression of some cancers. | |
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