From foodconsumer.org
Is wine good for your health? New study says wine drinkers are just healthier people
By Sue Mueller
Jun 5, 2005, 16:37
Most people nowadays understand that light to moderate drinking of wine protects against cardiovascular disease. But new research found that it is not wine itself, but the healthy lifestyle that makes the wine drinkers healthier.
The study, involving 13,000 people who participated in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, found that wine drinkers simply live a healthier lifestyle than beer drinkers, liquor drinkers or non-drinkers.
The research was conducted by Dr. Mallie Paschall and colleagues at the Berkeley, California-based Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, a nationwide nonprofit public health research and program institute.
The research is published in the June issue of the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence and was funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
According to the research,
1) Wine drinkers excise more, eat healthier diets, smoke less and have more normal body mass than people who prefer other drinks, according to the research.
2) Wine drinkers are more likely to be vegetarians and to have higher education levels, which are associated with better health.
3) Wine drinkers don’t drink as much as other drinkers and they have fewer alcohol-related problems than other drinkers.
4) Also in several health categories, such as body mass, diet and exercise, wine drinkers are healthier than non-drinkers.
"The research strongly suggests that adults who are light-to-moderate wine drinkers develop healthy lifestyle habits as adolescents and young adults before they become regular wine drinkers," stated Dr. Paschall.
Previous studies suggest that light-to-moderate wine consumption may reduce risk for coronary disease and other health problems. However, such research may not look at all of the variables.
"Evidence from this and other studies raises doubts about the protective effects of wine," Dr. Paschall said.
"The notion that wine itself has health benefits fails to take into account a host of other factors, including that wine drinkers apparently live healthier lifestyles," said Dr. Paschall. "Our finding that there's a relationship between wine preference and healthy lifestyles raises questions about those studies that propose health benefits from wine itself."
Dr. Paschall said that only a long-term controlled study can determine whether light-to-moderate wine consumption actually has any beneficial health effects. He also mentioned that such a study is probably not feasible.
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