Is White Wine Worse For You Than Red? New Study Raises Health Concerns
When it comes to wine, most of us are busy trying to decide if red or white pairs better with dinner, not which might be healthier.
Red wine often gets hyped up due to its antioxidants and heart-healthy reputation, but both red and white wines still have their fair share of health warnings.
The debate between red and white wine isn’t just about taste. The risk of some types of cancers has been known to be increased by alcohol consumption. Research is still ongoing about how consuming wine can affect cancer risk. So, before you top off that glass, take a closer look at your favorite drink.
A recent meta-analysis sought to compare the effects of red and white wine on cancer risk and did not find an association. But when only cohort studies were considered, it appeared that white wine increased the risk of skin cancer and cancer in general for women.
“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,” said Eunyoung Cho, the co-lead author of the study and an associate professor at Brown University.
“Our analysis included as many published epidemiological studies as possible that separately explored the relationship between red and white wine consumption and cancer risk.”
The research team analyzed 22 case-control studies and 20 cohort studies, involving almost 96,000 participants.
They examined wine types and several cancer types, such as prostate cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, and female breast cancer.
White wine was associated with an elevated risk for cancer, while red wine still lacked association. For white wine, there was a 22 percent increase in skin cancer risk. No association was observed for red wine and skin cancer. Both wines were linked to an increased risk for female breast cancer, but there was no significant difference.
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“The results of our meta-analysis revealed no significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall,” said 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 meta-analysis had some limitations. For instance, the studies used self-reported food frequency questionnaires, but not all of them were validated, which could have led to miscalculations or other errors in the findings.
The researchers also suggested that the heavy consumption of wine may correlate to high-risk behaviors, such as inadequate sunscreen use and indoor tanning.
Overall, the meta-analysis is the first of its kind. It challenges the idea that red wine is healthier than white and highlights the need for further research into the link between white wine consumption and cancer risk in women.
The findings were published in Nutrients.
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