Consuming light to moderate amounts of wine is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular complications, according to a comprehensive multicenter study conducted by researchers from the Hospital Clínic of the University of Barcelona, ​​the Biomedical Research Institute of Auguste Pi-Sounier (IDIBAPS), the Biomedical Research Center of the Obesity Physiology, Pathology and Nutrition Network (CIBEROBN) and the University of Navarra (UNAV).

The study, published in the European Heart Journal, used tartaric acid - a biomarker extracted from grapes - to examine the impact of wine intake. The study involved 1,232 participants in the PREDIMED project, a large-scale epidemiological study focused on the effects of the Mediterranean diet on cardiovascular health.

The researchers noted: "There is no doubt that excessive alcohol consumption can have serious health consequences. However, the effects of moderate and responsible wine consumption remain the subject of debate in the scientific community. The results of this and other studies should help place moderate wine consumption as an element of the Mediterranean diet in its rightful place, as it is considered the healthiest diet in the world."

While excessive alcohol consumption can have serious health consequences, a new multicenter study provides new evidence that drinking half to a full glass of wine a day can help reduce the risk of heart disease. Image source: European Heart Journal

The lead authors of the study include: researcher Ines Domínguez from the Department of Pharmacy and Food Sciences and the Institute of Nutrition and Food Safety (INSA) of the University of Brasilia; Professor Ramon Estruch from the Department of Medicine and Health Sciences of the University of Brasilia and IDIBAPS; Professor Rosa María Lamuela of the University of Navarra (UNAV), member of ICREA Academia and INSA, and Professor Miguel Ángel Martínez; they are all members of CIBEROBN.

Today, there is much debate about the health effects of moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially wine. "Part of this debate is due to conflicting findings, with some suggesting a protective effect of wine and others suggesting no such effect," Ramon-Estruch emphasized. "These differences can be explained by possible errors in recording wine consumption. Epidemiological studies assessing the impact of wine on the incidence of cardiovascular events are often based on self-reported wine consumption information." "The data are reliable, but subject to measurement error due to inaccurate recall or biased perceptions of the social desirability of drinking alcoholic beverages," Ramon-Estruch emphasized.

From left to right are experts Rosa María Lamuela, Ines Domínguez, Ramon Estruch and Miguel Ángel Martínez. Source: University of Barcelona

To address this issue, the researchers in this study measured wine consumption through food intake frequency surveys and confirmed it with an objective biomarker: urinary concentrations of tartaric acid, a molecule produced primarily in grapes and rarely synthesized by other plant species.

Using this approach, the study analyzed wine consumption and cardiovascular outcomes in the PREDIMED patient cohort. A total of 1,232 participants were assessed, including 685 participants who had experienced a cardiovascular event (cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure) and 625 randomly selected participants.

Data analysis showed that drinking light wine (one cup per week to less than half a cup per day) reduced the risk of cardiovascular complications by 38%, but when drinking moderate amounts of wine (between half a cup and one cup per day), this reduction could reach 50%.

However, this protective effect disappears when drinking more than one cup per day. The researchers also warned: "When we talk about drinking wine in moderation, it must be with meals, not between meals."

Despite these conclusions, Ines Domínguez noted that "the observational design of the study limits the ability to determine causality, and results from cohort studies should always be confirmed to increase certainty."

In this regard, they point to two potential avenues for action. The first approach is to design a randomized nutritional intervention study in which participants are randomly assigned to groups with different amounts of wine consumed.

"These studies are expensive." They added: "One study is currently underway, but the results are still four to five years away. The second study is to study the mechanisms of wine's protective effect on the cardiovascular system, such as studying the anti-inflammatory effects of wine polyphenols (such as resveratrol and other phenolic compounds). Understanding these mechanisms can give the results of epidemiological cohort studies a lot of confidence."

Compiled from /scitechdaily