Scientists from the University of Castilla-La Mancha (UCLM) have found that moderate wine consumption may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer, including skin, stomach and brain tumors. The research was published in the journal Limits in Nutrition.
Researchers selected 73 high-quality studies from Cochrane, Scopus, Web of Science, and MEDLINE (PubMed) databases. Only studies evaluating the relationship between wine consumption and cancers of the upper gastrointestinal tract, kidney, colon and rectum, skin, pancreas, brain, lung and gynecological tissue were included in the analysis. The publication period of the included articles ranged from 1986 to 2021, and the studies included 4,346,504 people aged 18 to 103 from Australia, Western Europe, and North and South America.
The analysis found no link between wine consumption and cancer risk. In contrast, wine showed protective tendencies against the risk of tumors, especially in the brain, lungs, skin and pancreas. This may be due to wine components such as phytoestrogens and antioxidants, which reduce inflammation and protect cells from damage by reactive oxygen species. Additionally, by increasing the acidity of the stomach, the drink can suppress the development of microorganisms such as: Helicobacter pylori: This bacterium is an important risk factor for stomach cancer.
The selected publications did not document wine consumption levels. More research is needed to determine the beverage’s true impact on cancer risk, taking into account the amount of wine consumed, diet, lifestyle, and socioeconomic status.
Previous scientists named Danger of non-alcoholic beer.