Choosing wine over beer or spirits may help you live longer, research suggests.
A study tracked more than 340,000 British adults and found that the health risks associated with alcohol depended not only on how much people drank but also what they drank.
In particular, wine drinkers were significantly less likely to die from heart-related problems than those who preferred beer, cider or spirits when the amount of alcohol consumed by the two groups was broadly the same.
Wine drinkers tend to be more affluent, making comparisons with other groups difficult Getty images
Professor Zhangling Chen of Central South University in China, who led the study, said: “Our findings suggest that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on how much people drink but also on what they drink. Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while wine consumption at similar levels may carry lower risk.”
The study followed adults who had signed up to the UK Biobank scheme. They were asked questions about alcohol consumption and their health was tracked for an average of 13 years.
For men, the researchers defined moderate drinking as between 17.5 and 35 units per week — well above the 14 units recommended as a maximum by the NHS. Over a week, a man in this category could consume between seven and 15 pints of 4 per cent beer, or between 11 and 22 small (125ml) glasses of wine. Women were classified as moderate drinkers if they consumed between 8.75 and 17.5 units per week: four to eight pints of beer, or between six and 12 small glasses of wine.
Among this group, those who drank wine had a lower risk of early death than those who consumed beer, cider or spirits.
The contrast was most striking for cardiovascular disease. Moderate wine drinkers had a 21 per cent lower risk of dying from heart-related conditions compared with those who drank rarely or never.
By contrast, even low consumption of beer, cider or spirits was associated with a 9 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular death.
Overall, alcohol consumption was associated with worse health. Compared with those who rarely or never drank, heavy drinkers — those who drank more than the “moderate” group — were 24 per cent more likely to die early from any cause, 36 per cent more likely to die from cancer and 14 per cent more likely to die from heart disease.
Some researchers believe compounds found in wine, particularly polyphenols such as resveratrol, may help protect heart health by reducing inflammation, improving blood vessel function and limiting oxidative stress, although their overall impact in real-world drinking remains uncertain.
However, the results come with caveats. Wine drinkers, on average, tend to be wealthier and may have healthier diets, better access to healthcare and other advantages. Wine is also more commonly consumed with meals, which is associated with healthier patterns of drinking.
The comparison with non-drinkers should also be treated cautiously. This group can include people who have stopped drinking because of existing health problems — meaning they may already be at higher risk of illness, potentially skewing the results.
The study accounted for a wide range of variables including age, socioeconomic status, lifestyle habits and family medical history. Nonetheless, the authors stressed that it was an observational study, meaning it cannot prove cause and effect.