Wine consumption and health, experts speak (1)

The following highlights, firmly but with respect and openness to technical and scientific dialogue, some key points on the combination of wine and health supported by scientific evidence and institutional references.

The opinions reported, in today’s and subsequent articles, were expressed by (in alphabetical order):

• Carlo A. Adami, former Professor of Vascular Surgery University of Verona.
• Luigi Bertinato, Senior Consultant for Europe at the World Health Organization.
• Giovanni De Gaetano, Director of the “RE ARTU” Research Laboratories of the “John Paul II” Center for High Technology Research and Training in Biomedical Sciences, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Campobasso.
• Gino Gerosa, Director UOC of Cardiac Surgery and Director Heart Transplantation Program and Mechanical Assistants at Padua Hospital.
• Michele Milella, oncologist, director of the Engineering for Innovation Medicine Department at the University of Verona.
• Nicola Pradegan, cardiac surgeon medical director of Padua University Hospital.
• Andrea Silenzi, Medical Director, Ministry of Health, Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
• Walter Ricciardi, Full Professor of Hygiene and Preventive Medicine, Department of Life Sciences and Public Health at Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Rome.
• Fulvio Ursini, Professor Emeritus of Biological Chemistry at the University of Padua.

Distinguishing general alcohol consumption and moderate wine consumption

It is essential to distinguish between general alcohol consumption – which includes any alcoholic beverage in any quantity and mode – and the moderate and conscious consumption of quality wine, placed in appropriate cultural and dietary contexts (e.g., within the Mediterranean diet). Not all alcohol is equivalent in terms of mode of intake and impact on health.

Studies show that wine possesses unique characteristics compared to other alcoholic beverages: wine (especially red wine) has a lower alcohol content than spirits and contains a wealth of bioactive compounds (polyphenols, antioxidants) absent in distilled beverages. In addition, the Mediterranean tradition includes the consumption of wine during meals, in small amounts, resulting in slower intake and concomitant food that moderates ethanol absorption (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

This dietary pattern provides metabolic benefits: the presence of food reduces peak blood alcohol levels and tissue exposure to the harmful effects of ethanol (e.g., less formation of acetaldehyde in mucous membranes) (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov). Not surprisingly, the Mediterranean Diet, recognized by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity, includes the moderate consumption of wine as part of a healthy and convivial lifestyle (unesco.org).

The danger of excessive alcohol consumption

On the other hand, the generic or excessive consumption of alcohol – especially when off-meal, in large quantities, or with compulsive recreational purposes-falls into an entirely different realm of risk. Binge drinking, hard liquor taken away from meals, or chronic ethanol abuse represent behaviors that public health clearly identifies as dangerous. It is therefore technically and scientifically possible to differentiate the case of a quality glass of wine during a meal (a context in which less cardiovascular disease has historically been observed) from cases of unregulated or out-of-context alcohol consumption. Ignoring this distinction would lead to simplistic and misleading conclusions.

In other words, “it is the alcohol that causes harm, not the drink” itself (who.int): pure ethanol is certainly a substance with potential toxic effects, but the actual health effects depend on the dose, the pattern of consumption, and the matrix in which it is taken (wine with food vs. hard liquor on an empty stomach, for example). The most recent evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption, especially if it occurs in the form of wine with meals, represents a low-risk pattern, at least for certain population groups (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

For example, the Global Burden of Disease (GBD 2020) analysis indicates that for adults over 40 years of age moderate intake of wine with food may result in some benefits. As example lower cardiovascular risk, stroke and diabetes at very low risk. While for young adults any other type of alcohol consumption has no such benefits ( pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov).

This confirms the need for an approach not ideological but scientific, which distinguishes abuse (always harmful) from moderate consumption in appropriate contexts.

The vignette used for the opening is by Lorenzo Mari, “Primitivo,” from the Spirito di Vino (eno)satire contest, edition 2023, Under 35 category, organized by the Movimento Turismo del Vino Friuli Venezia Giulia.