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Adding to evidence that a little wine can do a heart good, a new study suggests that women who drink moderate amounts may have less inflammation in their blood vessels.
Spanish researchers found that after four weeks of drinking two glasses of wine per day, women showed lower
levels of certain inflammatory substances in their blood. The findings, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest a mechanism by which wine - particularly red wine - may protect the heart.
Figuring out exactly how wine may protect the heart is important to prove that the link between wine and heart health is, in fact, a direct one, says researcher Dr Emilio Sacanella.
Studies that show wine drinkers to have better heart health do not prove that wine is the reason, explained Dr Sacanella, of the University of Barcelona. Wine lovers may, for example, have generally better diets, higher exercise levels or other heart-healthy habits.
The research focused on the potential effects of wine on inflammation. Inflammation is part of the body's response to injury. It's thought that chronic, low-level inflammation - in response to stresses like smoking, high cholesterol and obesity - contributes to the buildup of fatty deposits called plaques in the inner lining of the arteries. Inflammation may also make these plaques more likely to rupture and create a blood clot that could then trigger a heart attack.
In the study, 35 women spent four weeks on a heart-healthy, but wine-free, diet, followed by four weeks in which they had a glass of red wine with lunch and dinner. They followed the same pattern with white wine.
Overall the women's HDL cholesterol levels climbed after four weeks of drinking, while their blood levels of a number of inflammatory substances, such as C-reactive protein, declined. Red wine had a more pronounced effect than white wine.
The greater benefit of red wine may be related to its higher concentration of polyphenols, plant compounds that act as antioxidants and may help reduce inflammation.
Population studies have suggested that people who drink moderate amounts of wine may lower their risk of dying from heart disease by nearly one-third compared with non-drinkers, says Dr Sacanella.
"So a person who usually drinks up to this quantity of alcohol should maintain this healthy habit," he said. However, he added, doctors cannot recommend that non-drinkers take up the habit, as some people are vulnerable to drinking problems and the health consequences that come with that.
- Reuters
