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Wine and Your Health

© Alan Boehmer

Current opinion about the possible benefits of moderate drinking

On April 26-29, 2001, the New York Academy of Sciences will hold an international conference in Palo Alto, CA, to bring the public's attention to current research in the subject of alcohol and health. The subject of the conference will be "Alcohol and Wine in Health and Disease." The Academy, founded in 1817 now boasts a membership of nearly 30,000. The conference is co-sponsored by the American College of Nutrition.

The conference intends to give its participants the opportunity for a comprehensive evaluation of recent research which links moderate alcohol consumption to certain health benefits.

R. Curtis Ellison of the Institute of Lifestyle and Health at the Boston University School of Medicine has already emphasized the need for the public to distinguish between the effects of alcohol caused by responsible, moderate drinking and those caused by heavy, irresponsible consumption.

He says, "The scientific data show a very favorable risk/benefit ratio for moderate drinking," and underscores that "adverse effects of alcohol consumption are almost exclusively for heavy drinking."

Ellison's interpretation of the data reflects what is commonly called "The J-Curve." When the incidence of mortality in a large population is plotted against the rate of alcohol consumption, the result is a J-shaped curve which reflects that longevity is actually increased slightly with moderate consumption, but quickly reverses with increased consumption. You can see the J-Curve plotted in the article Wine and Health by Chris Kissack and Jamie Goode.

Much information has come to light over the past two decades. While most of the research studies have yielded very positive results for moderate drinkers, there are a few dissenting opinions. The links below will be of interest to those wishing to pursue this issue further.

Alcohol and Health
A good source of general information on alcohol and health. Articles include:

Wine, coronary heart disease and mortality
Wine and health, other than coronary heart disease
Study design: why it so difficult to 'prove' any of the theories about the beneficial effects of wine or other alcoholic drinks
What is the French paradox?
What is the J-shaped curve?
How it works: possible mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of alcohol

MSN.com and WebMD offers two worthwhile discussions:

Wine & Health

Which Booze Is Most Beneficial?

The Wine Institute offers a series of articles on their site: Wine Institute/Health Research

Articles:
Longevity
Heart Disease
Other Cardiovascular
Emerging Benefits
Women's Health

Paul Wolf offers a slightly different view in his article Here's To Your Health, An Encore for Red Wine. It's not the alcohol, he says; it's the flavinoids. And they're also found in unfermented grape juice.