Health Benefits of Wine?

Almost every year there are bold headlines announcing the health benefits related to drinking a glass of wine a day. Well, not this year. Several new studies now say even one glass of wine a day can increase your risk of developing cancer.

For years, wine was touted as the "guilt-free" nectar. Enjoy your glass of wine a day. It's good for your health. Not anymore. Just this month, instead of preventing cancer, Science Daily is reporting that drinking one or more alcoholic drinks daily can increase the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. And another study, conducted by the University of Oxford found that having just one drink a day raises a women's risk of developing cancer. This study will be published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute this month.

And to confuse the issue even more, another new study found that drinking one glass of wine per day can decrease the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus by 56 percent. This just leaves you wondering which one is it? Does drinking a glass of wine increase or decrease your risk of developing cancer? Does drinking wine have any impact on developing cancer at all? The definitive answer may not be on the horizon, but one thing that can be taken into consideration is all the studies of the past that have found that drinking one glass of wine per day has more benefits than negatives.

The positive findings in the studies below are based on "moderate consumption." The American Heart Association classifies "moderate consumption" as one to two four-ounce glasses of wine per day.

Reduces High Blood Pressure

A 2007 study by the Harvard School of Public Health of over 11,000 men published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that moderate wine drinkers with high blood pressure are 30% less likely to have a heart attack than non-wine drinkers.

Longevity

A 2007 Finish study published in the Journals of Gerontology of over 2000 men over the age of 29 concluded that wine drinkers have a 34% lower mortality rate than those who drink beer or hard liquor.

Lowers Risk of Heart Disease

A 2006 study by Queen Mary University in London, and published in Nature discovered that the tannins in red wine contain procyanidins, which protect against heart disease.

Lowers the Risk of Stroke

A 2006 study of more than 3,000 individuals conducted by Columbian University over an eight year period found that moderate wine drinkers reduce their chances of suffering a blood clot-related stroke by 50%.

Reduces the Risk of Colon Cancer

A 2005 study of over 2,000 individuals over a four-year period published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology and conducted by Stony Brook University found that moderate consumption of wine, especially red wine cuts the risk of colon cancer by 45 %.

Reduces the Risk of Type 2 Diabetes

A 2005 study of more than 300,000 individuals over a 12 year period conducted by Amsterdam's VU University Medical Center found that moderate wine drinkers have a 30% less chance of developing type-2 diabetes than non-wine drinkers.

Reduces the Risk of Cataracts

A 2003 study of over 1,000 individuals in Iceland, and published in Nature

found that those who consume wine are 43% less likely to develop cataracts than those who drink beer.

So is one glass of wine a day good for you, or not? Without a definitive study, the onus is on you. If you don't drink wine, certainly don't start, but if you do, it comes down to a personal decision based on your health history and risk factors. Cheers!