Is wine good for you? Yes AND no: Graphic reveals the conflicting claims made in scientific studies over the past 6 months
- Studies say alcohol can have both a good and bad effect on the same illnesses
- Huge amounts of research can make it impossible to know what to believe
- A breakdown of 10 major studies from since April reveals the new evidence
- But scientists are more often saying the bad side of alcohol outweighs the good
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A glass of wine to accompany dinner after a hard day at work is a well-deserved release enjoyed by many.
But scientific research has left thousands who enjoy a glass every night confused over whether it is damaging their health.
Experts have repeatedly warned alcohol is bad for the liver and can lead to an early grave. But several trials have shown it could be good for the brain and stave off dementia.
And other studies – conducted on humans and animals – say it can both cause and reduce the risk of the same illnesses, such as cancer.
It’s impossible to know what to believe – so MailOnline has broken down some of the most important studies published on alcohol in the past six months.
Studies published by scientists since April have presented a confusing list of apparent benefits and risks of drinking wine, which sometimes make opposite claims about the same illnesses
Research which came out just this week, published in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research on Wednesday, begins with a bleak picture.
The Washington University School of Medicine study of 450,000 people found drinking a glass of wine every day boosts the risk of an early death by a fifth.
This effect is the same regardless of how old people are, the researchers said, even though drinking less often could have small benefits for the heart.
Cambridge University researchers found earlier in the year that drinking 10 glasses of wine a week in middle-age could cut two years off someone’s life.
Each unit above the recommended amount (14 units, or seven small glasses of wine, per week) was found to shave off off 15 minutes.
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Research by Vanderbilt University in Tennessee in June said under-45s who binge on four or more drinks in a single night suffer from raised blood pressure, high blood sugar and higher cholesterol.
These effects can all contribute to a higher risk of heart disease or stroke.
Scientists at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland found in May two glasses of wine in one sitting can reduce the quality of sleep that night by almost 40 per cent.
And even lower alcohol intake than that damages sleep by around 10 per cent.
Research in June, by the University of Illinois, claimed drinking more than the recommended amount can increase the risk of Alzheimer’s.
IS WINE GOOD OR BAD FOR YOU? HERE’S WHAT THE SCIENCE SAYS
HOW WINE IS GOOD FOR YOU
Reduces heart disease risk (August 2018)
A study by University College London found women who drink a medium glass of wine a day are nearly 50 per cent less likely to develop heart disease than teetotallers.
And drinking little and often helps – women who drank moderate amounts inconsistently had an 18 per cent higher heart risk than those who had a drink every day or two.
The study of 35,132 women was published in the journal BMC Medicine.
Less likely to develop dementia (August 2018)
Researchers at the Universite Paris-Saclay in France found middle-aged people who drink the equivalent of a medium glass of wine (175ml) a day are half as likely to develop dementia as those who don’t drink.
Their study of 9,000 people was published in the British Medical Journal.
Higher sperm counts (July 2018)
Research by the Fondazione Policlinico in Milan found men who drink the equivalent of a bottle and a small glass of wine a week have higher sperm counts and ‘better quality semen’ than men who don’t drink.
The study of 323 men was published in the journal Andrology.
Slows cancer growth (June 2018)
A study by the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil found an antioxidant in red wine stops the formation of protein clumps which occur in 50 per cent of cancerous tumours and help the disease to grow and spread.
Their research, done on tumours in a lab, was published in the journal Oncotarget.
Slashes prostate cancer risk (May 2018)
Scientists at the University of Vienna found drinking one glass of red wine a day reduces men’s risk of developing prostate cancer by around 12 per cent.
Their review of studies done on around 611,000 people was published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology.
HOW WINE IS BAD FOR YOU
Raises risk of heart disease and stroke (June 2018)
Researchers at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee found bingeing on four or more drinks in a night raises a person’s blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol levels, which increase the chances of them suffering heart disease or stroke.
The study of 4,710 18 to 45-year-olds was published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
Contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (June 2018)
Scientists at the University of Illinois found heavy drinking increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by reducing the brain’s ability to clean itself of toxic proteins which build up and kill off nerve cells in the organ.
The research, done on rats, was published in the Journal of Neuroinflammation.
Shortens life expectancy (October and April 2018)
Studies by Washington University and the University of Cambridge found a daily drink increases the risk of premature death by a fifth, and ten glasses of wine a week could cut two years off someone’s life.
The studies included records from more than a million people and were published in the journals Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, and The Lancet.
Reduces sleep quality (May 2018)
Researchers at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland found drinking two glasses of wine in one sitting can reduce the quality of sleep that night by almost 40 per cent, and even low alcohol intake damages sleep by around 10 per cent.
The study of 4,098 adults was published in the journal JMIR Mental Health.
Raises prostate cancer risk (May 2018)
Scientists at the University of Vienna found drinking moderate amounts of white wine, such as Chardonnay, raises men’s risk of getting prostate cancer by 26 per cent.
Their review of studies done on around 611,000 people was published in the journal Clinical Epidemiology.
Drinking red wine can reduce a man’s risk of getting prostate cancer by 12 per cent, but white wine can have the opposite effect – raising the likelihood by around 26 per cent, according to researchers from the University of Vienna in Austria
It does this by stopping the brain being able to clear away proteins which build up and destroy nerve cells, they found in experiments on rats.
Drinking also raises the risk of prostate cancer, scientists at the University of Vienna revealed in May – white wine, specifically, raised men’s risk of the disease by 26 per cent.
But the same researchers, in the same study, also found red wine actually reduces men’s risk of the same cancer.
Ditching the Chardonnay for a Pinot Noir or a Merlot could reduce men’s prostate cancer risk by 12 per cent.
IS ALCOHOL OR CANNABIS WORSE FOR THE BRAIN?
Alcohol damages the brain more than cannabis, research suggested in February 2017.
Unlike booze, marijuana does not affect the size or integrity of white or grey matter in the brain, even after years of exposure, a study found.
Grey matter enables the brain to function, while white controls communication between nerve clusters.
Study author Professor Kent Hutchison, from the University of Colorado Boulder, said: ‘While marijuana may also have some negative consequences, it definitely is nowhere near the negative consequences of alcohol.’
The scientists add, however, research into cannabis’ mental effects are still very limited.
Lead author Rachel Thayer said: ‘Particularly with marijuana use, there is still so much that we don’t know about how it impacts the brain.’
In the US, 44 percent of those aged 12 or over have used cannabis at some point in their lives.
Although their findings appear positive, the researchers also add there is a long way to go before cannabis will likely be broadly legalised.
Many are still concerned as to how the class-C drug affects people of different ages, manages pain and causes addiction.
Another study in the positive camp was revealed by University College London in August, which found wine could protect against heart disease.
The researchers studied 35,132 women and found those who drink a medium glass of wine a day are 50 per cent less likely to get heart disease than teetotallers.
And in another conflicting study from August – but one which is good news for drinkers – wine could reduce the risk of getting dementia.
Scientists at the Universite Paris-Saclay in France studied 9,000 middle-aged people and found those who drink the equivalent of a medium glass of wine (175ml) a day are half as likely to develop dementia as those who don’t drink.
Men’s sperm counts could benefit from the occasional beverage, too.
Italian experts from the Fondazione Policlinico in Milan found in July that men drinking the equivalent of a bottle and a small glass of wine a week have higher sperm counts and ‘better quality semen’ than men who don’t drink.
And, although alcohol is known to contribute to various cancers, an antioxidant found in red wine could slow down the growth of clumps of proteins found in half of tumours.
These proteins help tumours to grow and spread, according to research from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro in June.
Unfortunately, for every study claiming alcohol has benefits there will be another saying it will make you die young.
It could be only wishful thinking to think there will ever be a health-related reason to indulge in your favourite wine or beer.
Experts from the University of Washington warned in August there is ‘no safe amount’ of alcohol to drink, after they reviewed 694 previous studies on booze.
Their study revealed alcohol is responsible for 2.8 million deaths worldwide.
Dr Max Griswold said at the time: ‘Previous studies have found a protective effect of alcohol on some conditions, but we found that the combined health risks associated with alcohol increase with any amount of alcohol.
‘In particular, the strong association between alcohol consumption and the risk of cancer, injuries, and infectious diseases offset the protective effects for heart disease in women in our study.
‘Although the health risks associated with alcohol starts off being small with one drink a day, they then rise rapidly as people drink more.
‘The widely held view of the health benefits of alcohol needs revising, particularly as improved methods and analyses continue to shed light on how much alcohol contributes to global death and disability.’
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