Researchers demystify red wine health halo finding all wines are carcinogenic

There is a widespread belief that red wine’s high resveratrol content helps fortify against cancer due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, which has been a driver of its consumption. However, a new meta-analysis finds there is no clear evidence of this protective quality.

Epidemiologists leading the research from Brown University’s School of Public Health and Warren Alpert Medical School, US, stress that alcohol in all types of wine — specifically, the ethanol in alcoholic beverages — metabolizes into compounds that damage DNA and proteins, contributing to cancer risk.

“In an effort to better understand the potential impact of wine consumption on cancer risk, we conducted a comprehensive meta-analysis to assess whether red wine is truly a healthier choice than white wine,” says Eunyoung Cho, co-lead author of the study and associate professor of epidemiology and dermatology at Brown.

“Our analysis included as many published epidemiological studies as possible that separately explored the relationship between red and white wine consumption and cancer risk.”

In 2020, excessive alcohol consumption was linked to more than 740,000 cancer cases worldwide, accounting for 4.1% of all cases. Despite the classification of alcoholic beverages as Group 1 carcinogens, meaning they may cause cancer in humans, a common perception is that not all alcoholic beverages are alike.

Red does not mean better

The research scoured “the vast and often contradictory literature on the carcinogenicity of red and white wine” to compare the cancer risks associated with wine type. This involved an analysis of 42 observational studies (20 cohort and 22 case-control) involving nearly 96,000 participants.

“The results of our meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall,” stresses Cho.

“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.”

The study authors say the reasons for this are indeterminate. They suggest that heavy consumption of wine may correlate to high-risk behaviors, such as indoor tanning and inadequate sunscreen use. However, they say it is unclear why white wine, in particular, is the culprit.

Wine and cancer in women

The “first study of its kind” points to the need for further research into the association between white wine consumption and cancer risk.

In an additional twist, the study also found a stronger association between white wine intake and increased overall cancer risk among women. This finding warrants further investigations into potential underlying mechanisms, stress the researchers.

Earlier this year, the US alcohol industry’s stocks fell following calls for mandatory cancer warning labels on all alcoholic F&B products. A report on the matter issued by Dr. Vivek Murthy, US Surgeon General, argues that the 100,000 annual cancer cases caused by drinking warrants tobacco-style packaging requirements.