Alcohol, health loss, and mortality: can wine really save the good name of moderate alcohol consumption?

ABSTRACT

It is estimated that one­third of the world's population consumes alcohol. At the same time, it is well­known that excessive alcohol consumption in one of the leading causes of premature mortality. The history of production of alcoholic beverages, especially wine, dates back as long as 8000 years. However, people soon realized adverse effects of alcohol abuse and tried to limit its consumption. Higher alcohol consumption is associated with health loss and increased risk of all­cause mortality. It is linearly associated with a greater risk of many types of cancers, liver disease, incidence of atrial fibrillation, hemorrhagic stroke, or heart failure. Although many scientific societies recommend reduction of alcohol intake and specify the recommended limits of consumption, there is no proven safe amount of alcohol for the general population. There are conflicting data on the effect of low­to­moderate alcohol consumption on mortality, with most of the studies indicating a J­shaped curve related mostly to a reduction of coronary artery disease complications, including cardiovascular death. Among different types of alcohol, red wine consumption may have different health effects, due to its high content of antioxidative polyphenols. Wine, together with abundance of plant­based foods, olive oil, and fish, is an important part of the Mediterranean diet. There are both observational and randomized studies documenting a wide spectrum of health­promoting effects of such a diet, especially a reduction in major adverse cardiovascular events. People who want to drink alcohol should be advised to limit their consumption to a minimum, and should consider choosing red wine.