terclim by ICS banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 International Congress on Grapevine and Wine Sciences 9 2ICGWS-2023 9 Moderate wine consumption – part of a balanced diet or a health risk?

Moderate wine consumption – part of a balanced diet or a health risk?

Abstract

Consumption of wine/alcoholic beverages remains a topic of great uncertainty and controversy worldwide.  The term “no safe level” dominates the media communication and policy ever since population studies in 2018 [1,2] were published, which denied the existence of a J-curve and suggested that ANY consumption of an alcoholic beverage is harmful to health. The scientific evidence accumulated during the past decades about the health benefits of moderate wine consumption, were questioned and drinking guidelines considered to be too loose. As a consequence, during the last few years, the upper limit of low-risk alcohol consumption has been progressively lowered in the national drinking guidelines. 

Although the authors of the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study concluded in 2018 that it would be best for overall health to avoid drinking at all, the same GBD scientists in 2022, corrected their own previous data.  In their 2022 update [3] – different from the 2018 publication – the alcohol-related health risks in every country were considered. The results showed that the risks from the consumption of alcoholic beverages vary greatly depending on the disease, age and region. Based on these new results, a moderate consumption of wine/alcoholic beverages for individuals above 40 years of age can provide health benefits, such as a lower risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. The influence of moderate wine/alcohol consumption on health was described by a J-shaped curve. Excessive drinking is always associated with an increased risk of death and various health risks.

What are the reasons for such contrary results and what is the practical significance of “global calculations” in both GBD studies?  What does it mean for the wine consumer? The latest scientific evidence of moderate wine consumption in the context a healthy lifestyle and diet will be discussed, as well as how the communication of the Wine in Moderation initiative builds on objective scientific facts.

  1. Gakidou, E.,(2018) Alcohol use and burden for 195 countries and territories, 1990-2016: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2016. Lancet, 392(10152):1015-1035 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)31310-2
  2. Wood, A.M., et al., Risk thresholds for alcohol consumption: combined analysis of individual-participant data for 599 912 current drinkers in 83 prospective studies. Lancet, 2018. 391(10129):1513-1523 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(18)30134-X
  3. Gakidou, E. and G.A. Collaborators, Population-level risks of alcohol consumption by amount, geography, age, sex, and year: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020. Lancet, 2022. 400(10347):185-235 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00847-9.

DOI:

Publication date: October 19, 2023

Issue: ICGWS 2023

Type: Article

Authors

Ursula Fradera1

1Deutsche Weinakademie, Platz des Weines 2, 55294 Bodenheim, Germany

Contact the author*

Keywords

alcohol, wine, benefits, health risks, global burden of disease

Tags

2ICGWS | ICGWS | ICGWS 2023 | IVES Conference Series

Citation

Related articles…

Preliminary results of water status and metabolite content of three new crossbreed winegrape genotypes

This study presents the preliminary results obtained in 2022, of the evaluation of three new crossbreed winegrape genotypes and their parental varieties, grown under controlled irrigation (60% ETc) and rainfed conditions in a wine-growing area with scarcity of water and high temperatures (Murcia, southeast Spain). The genotypes MC16 and MC80 were obtained from crosses between the varieties ‘Monastrell’ and ‘Cabernet Sauvignon’, and MS104 from crosses between ‘Monastrell’ and ‘Syrah’ [1]. The objective of this study was to analyse the physiological response and vegetative development of the 6 genotypes under the two irrigation conditions, and to study their effect on the content of soluble sugars and chlorophyll in the leaf.

Read More

Antimicrobial activity of oenological polyphenols against Gram positive and Gram negative intestinal multidrug-resistant bacteria

Bacterial antibiotic resistance is a major current health problem. Polyphenols have demonstrated antibacterial activity, and in this work we studied the effect of oenological polyphenols on the growth of intestinal multidrug-resistant strains of human and animal origin. Two Enterococcus faecium strains, resistant to vancomycin and other antibiotics, and four Escherichia coli strains, resistant to ampicillin and other antibiotics, were included in this study. All strains showed multidrug resistant phenotypes and genotypes to at least two antibiotic families.

Read More

Implications of the nature of organic mulches used in vineyards on grapevine water status, yield, berry quality and biological soil health  

Climate emergency is going to affect the agricultural suistainability, wine grapes being probably one of the crops more sensitive to environmental constraints. In this context, mitigation strategies such as the revalorization of agricultural wastes are paramount to cope with the current challenges. The use of organic mulches has been reported to reduce soil water evaporation and improve vine water status, reduce soil erosion, and increase soil organic matter with little impact on berry quality. However, less is known about their effects on the microbiote of vineyards.

Read More

Investigating the Ancient Egyptian wines: The wine jars database

In Ancient Egypt, wine was a luxury product consumed mainly by the upper classes and the royal family and offered to gods in daily religious rituals in the temples.
Since the Predynastic (4000-3100 BC) period, wine jars were placed in tombs as funerary offerings. From the Old Kingdom (2680-2160 BC) to the Greco-Roman (332 BC-395 AD) period, viticulture and winemaking scenes were depicted on the private tombs’ walls. During the New Kingdom (1539-1075 BC), wine jars were inscribed to indicate: vintage year, product, quality, provenance, property and winemaker’s name and title.

Read More

Applicability of spectrofluorometry and voltammetry in combination with machine learning approaches for authentication of DOCa Rioja Tempranillo wines

The main objective of the work was to develop a simple, robust and selective analytical tool that allows predicting the authenticity of Tempranillo wines from DOCa Rioja. The techniques of voltammetry and absorbance-transmission and fluorescence excitation emission matrix (A-TEEM) spectroscopy have been applied in combination with machine learning (ML) algorithms to classify red wines from DOCa Rioja according to region (Alavesa, Alta or Oriental) and category (young, crianza or reserva).

Read More