The consumption of alcohol has been associated with increased cancer risk, but red wine has been perceived by some as a healthier choice compared to white wine and other types of alcohol. Investigators evaluated whether the anticancer properties of red wine were greater in a recent study published by Lim et al in Nutrients.
Background
Alcohol—specifically, the ethanol in alcoholic beverages—metabolizes into compounds that damage DNA and proteins, contributing to cancer risk. In 2020, excessive alcohol consumption was linked to over 740,000 cancer cases across the world, accounting for 4.1% of all cases.
Many individuals believe that red wine’s high level of the antioxidant resveratrol could offer protection against cancer.
Study Methods and Results
In the study, the investigators used the data from 42 observational studies involving nearly 96,000 participants to analyze the cancer risks associated with red and white wine.
“We conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess whether red wine is truly a healthier choice than white wine,” explained senior study author Eunyoung Cho, ScD, Associate Professor of Epidemiology and Dermatology at the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island. “Our analysis included as many published epidemiologic studies as possible that separately explored the relationship between red and white wine consumption and cancer risk,” she added.
Eunyoung Cho, ScD
The investigators found no clear evidence that red wine mitigates cancer risk. They also discovered no overall increase to cancer risk from consuming wine regardless of the type.
“The results revealed no [statistically] significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall. However, we did observe a distinction when it came to skin cancer risk. Specifically, the consumption of white wine, but not red wine, was associated with an increased risk of skin cancer,” Dr. Cho detailed.
The investigators calculated a 22% increased risk of skin cancer associated with white wine compared with red wine. They hypothesized that heavy consumption of wine may correlate with high-risk behaviors such as indoor tanning and inadequate sunscreen use; however, it was unclear why white wine, in particular, led to a heightened risk.
In addition, the investigators revealed a stronger association between the intake of white wine and an increased overall cancer risk among women, warranting future assessment into potential underlying mechanisms.
Conclusions
The findings challenged previously help assumptions that red wine is healthier than white wine and emphasized the need for further studies into the association between white wine consumption and cancer risk, particularly in women.
Disclosure: For full disclosures of the study authors, visit mdpi.com.
