Wine
Drinkers Caution:
It Might Not Be the Wine That explains Better Health
Credit
should go to the wine drinkers overall lifestyle rather than the wine
itself.
Many
studies have suggested wine drinkers enjoy better health, but there is
new evidence that it might not be the wine itself.
Modest
drinking of any type of alcohol has been linked to better health,
particularly cardiovascular health, and wine has stood out as
especially beneficial. Some researchers speculate that certain
properties of wine, such as its antioxidant content, may give the
beverage an added benefit above and beyond the alcohol content.
However, studies have also suggested that wine drinkers may just have
healthier lifestyles overall.
Now
a new study, of more than 4,400 US men and women, finds that those
whose called wine their beverage of choice had more healthful diets
and were less likely to smoke than either those who favored beer or
spirits, or drinkers with no preference.
In
addition, drinkers in general exercised more and ate more vegetables
than abstainers did, according to findings published in the August
issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"The
apparent health benefits of wine compared with other alcoholic
beverages...may be a result of confounding by dietary habits and other
lifestyle factors," conclude the study authors, led by John C.
Barefoot, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.
Because
certain healthy habits were also more common among drinkers overall,
it's possible that lifestyle may account for the higher rates of
serious illness and death that some studies have found for
non-drinkers, according to Barefoot's team.
However,
they point out, the most marked differences in diet and smoking in
this study were between wine drinkers and other drinkers.
The
findings are based on data collected from middle-aged alumni from the
University of North Carolina and their spouses. As a group,
participants were highly educated and had similar incomes.
The
researchers found that, compared with other drinkers, wine fans
generally ate more fiber and less saturated fat and cholesterol, and
drank less alcohol. Both male and female wine drinkers were less
likely to smoke than those who favored other types of alcohol.
These
findings, the researchers conclude, highlight the "myriad"
lifestyle factors that could help explain the link between moderate
drinking and better health, as well as the extra benefits that have
been attributed to wine.
Last
year, an American Heart Association panel urged doctors to downplay
the potential heart-healthy effects of wine and instead encourage
patients to eat more fruits and vegetables and get more exercise.
American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;76:466-472.
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FACT
Diabetes
is taking an increasingly harsh toll on women: More than 2.5 million
American women are unknowingly affected by diabetes, while millions
more have also undetected "pre-diabetes.
