Red wine helps protect against male lung cancer, says study

Red wine may help protect against the development of lung cancer in men, according to research published in the specialist British Medical Journal (BMJ) Thorax.

The research assessed the lifestyles of 132 patients with lung cancer and 187 patients requiring minor surgery at the same hospital in north west Spain between 1999 and 2000. Their results found that, compared with non-drinkers, each daily glass of red wine afforded 13% protection against lung cancer.

With each daily glass conferring additional benefit, no other type of alcohol seemed to have the same effect, the study found.

Rosé wine was found to have no impact, and white wine seemed to have the opposite effect, although far fewer patients drank white wine. Neither beer nor sprits seemed to affect the development of cancer, researchers concluded.

The report authors said that the beneficial effects of red wine may be down to tannins, which have antioxidant properties, and resveratrol, which has been shown to stifle tumour development and growth in experimental research.

Most of the patients were men and in their early 60s. Around one in three were ex-smokers, but almost 60% of the lung cancer patients were current smokers, compared with around one in four of the other patients. The lung cancer patients were also more likely to have worked in jobs putting them at risk of the disease.

The results held true even after taking account of the amount of tobacco smoked, job type, and the total quantity of alcohol consumed.

Despite the good news for lovers of red wine, the authors cautioned against drinking several glasses a day in a bid to ward off lung cancer, because of the overall adverse effects on health of high alcohol consumption.

(gmcg/sp)