Wine and Health
Thomas Henick-Kling

sources of information:
historical writings: wine's use in medicine

health surveys and correlation with personal health
3 ways to collect information about the association of wine (beer and liquor) consumption habits and general health of people;
correlational studies, cohort studies
prospective studies
case studies

biochemical links between wine consumption and human health
in vitro studies
studies with animal models
clinical studies for example with heart patients

prepared in 1993 by Harvard School of Public Health and Oldways Preservation & Exchange Trust
endorsed by the World Health Organization

"wine can be enjoyed daily in moderation primarily with meals. It should be considered optional and avoided wherever consumption would put the individuals or others at risk."

1. the combination of alcohol (ethanol) with many other biochemicals (nutrients, nutraceuticals)
2. the rate at which it is adsorbed into the blood
3. the context in which it is consumed: with meals, leisurely

the J-curve versus linear models

1. correlational (epidemiological) studies
2. prospective (cohort) studies
3. case control studied
4. biochemical links

resveratrol
quercetin
epicatechin
other wine phenolics

1. antioxidants can serve in many ways to protect the body from injury:

2. one important role is to act as scavengers of free oxygen radicals; in this way they can protect against some cancers

3. another one is to protect against oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) which is a crucial step in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

only one study found a difference between red and wine, most other studies found no difference

red wine' headaches are not due to alcohol (in moderate amounts) or tyramine (biogenic amines), rather they are likely due to some as yet unidentified phenolic compounds