Wednesday, August 12, 2026 | Edition 190 | Item #3

Because moderate to low wine consumption may prolong your life, though probably not past 194 years.  In the long-running debate about whether careful consumption of alcohol is harmful or not, there is a new entry, a massive study of more than 340,000 participants in the UK Biobank. Based on self-reported data, participants were sorted into four levels of consumption, ranging from high consumption down to little or no consumption, and their health was tracked over a 13-year period.

Heavy consumers of alcohol (more than 3 drinks a day for men and 1.5 drinks a day for women) were found to have highly negative health outcome:  24% more likely to die from any cause; 36% more likely to die from cancer; and 14% more likely to die from heart disease.  But at moderate and low consumption levels, the results were muddier.  At these levels, the results differed based upon the type of alcoholic beverage consumed. Spirits, beer and cider were associated with a significantly greater risk of death, while similar levels of wine consumption were associated with a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality.

The contrast was also seen in deaths from cardiovascular disease. Moderate wine drinkers had a 21% lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with never or occasional drinkers. In contrast, even low levels of spirits, beer or cider consumption were associated with a 9% higher risk of cardiovascular death compared with non-drinkers.

The causes of these rather different outcomes are unclear.  Wine, especially red wine, has been touted for positive health qualities related to polyphenols and antioxidants, which may provide cardiovascular benefits.  But it may also be lifestyle.  While the researchers adjusted their findings for differences in socioeconomics, demographics and family history, the differences may be explained at least in part by the fact that wine tends to be favored by people with higher-quality diets and healthier behaviors overall.