Bookmarkers beware: Bookmarks to pages other than the home page may not work after we change our server in April Editor's Choice | This Week in BMJ | Press releases BMJ No 7132 Volume 316 News Saturday 28 February 1998 Moderate wine drinking reduces all cause mortality Drinking three glasses of wine a day reduces the risk of death from all causes by about 30%, according to the first prospective study on the health effects of moderate drinking, which was carried out in France. Mortality from cardiovascular disease was reduced by 35% and from cancer by 20%. The study included 34000 men aged 40-60 years who had received a complete health checkup between 1978 and 1983 in Nancy, a town in eastern France. This group was re-evaluated in 1993, by which time 2642 of the group had died, the cause of death having been identified in 1529 (Epidemiology1998;9:1-5). Age, education, smoking habits, systolic pressure, total cholesterol concentrations, body mass index, physical activity, and drinking habits were all noted, but the drinking habit turned out to be the best indicator of increased longevity. Drinking habit was the best indicator of increased longevity Photo: IMAGES COLOUR LIBRARY Mortality was lowest among men drinking two to three glasses of wine a day. A glass was judged to contain 120 ml of wine, equivalent to about 10-12 g of pure alcohol. Death from coronary and cardiovascular disease was reduced by 35% for those who drank two to three glasses of wine (about 22-32 g of alcohol) daily and by 30% for those who drank three to five glasses. Although smokers were at greater risk of cardiovascular disease than non-smokers, those who drank also benefited from the 30% risk reduction. The leader of the study, Dr Serge Renaud, professor of cardiology at the University of Bordeaux and a member of the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), said that the diminished cardiovascular risk associated with moderate wine drinking is not counterbalanced by increased risk of any other type. However, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease increased sharply for smokers who are heavy drinkers: shooting up to 380% for smokers who drank two bottles of wine (about 140 g of alcohol) a day. The risk of death from cancer is diminished by 22% for those who drank two glasses of wine daily, with no reduction in risk above four glasses. On the whole, mortality from all causes was reduced by about 30% for men drinking two to three glasses of wine a day, and by 24% for those drinking three to four glasses. The risk remained lowered for men drinking up to seven glasses of wine a day but increased above that. The correlation did not seem to be altered by physical exercise. Most of the men in the group were wine drinkers, and wine represented 82% of alcohol consumption. Alexander Dorozynski Paris Home | Current issue | Past issues | Classified ads | Career Focus | Feedback Collections | About this site | About the BMJ | BMA | Medline