Drinking a bottle of wine a week could be as good as statins for heart health, research suggests. Researchers measured the impact of a Mediterranean diet - a diet high in olive oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish, and low in sweet or processed food and drink. It analysed urine samples of 1,232 older adults from a Mediterranean population at a high risk of heart disease and after five years there were 685 cases of heart disease, including heart attack, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease. The samples showed an "objective" measure of wine consumption in urine by looking for levels of a chemical called tartaric acid.
Compared with people who didn't drink wine, people who drank three to 12 glasses of wine each month had a 38% lower risk of heart disease, according to the study, which has been published in the European Heart Journal. Those who drank between 12 and 35 glasses of wine each month had a 50% lower risk.
Study lead, Professor Ramon Estruch, from the University of Barcelona, said: "By measuring tartaric acid in the urine, alongside food and drink questionnaires, we have been able to make a more accurate measurement of wine consumption. We have found a much greater protective effect of wine than that observed in other studies. A reduction in risk of 50% is much higher than can be achieved with some drugs, such as statins.
"This study examines the importance of moderate wine consumption within a healthy dietary pattern, such as the Mediterranean diet. Until now, we believed that 20% of the effects of the Mediterranean diet could be attributed to moderate wine consumption, however, in light of these results, the effect may be even greater.”.
