Cardiovascular diseases account for a high proportion of deaths on a global scale, with CVD-related deaths surging to nearly 18 million in 2017, in which ischemic heart disease (IHD) caused almost half of the deaths.
A previous meta-analysis suggested a J-shaped relationship between wine consumption and cardiovascular events and that moderate wine intake promoted better cardiovascular health.
A positive effect of wine on CVDs was first reported in 1979, wherein researchers also asserted that different wine components exert protective effects against pathologies, such as coronary heart diseases, CHD-associated mortality, and cancers, such as oral cancer.
Moreover, studies have suggested that de-alcoholized wines (in the absence of ethanol) are protective against thrombosis as they conserve antioxidant effects.
Light to moderate alcohol consumption positively affects general health; for instance, it acts on high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to prevent atherosclerosis, lowers the incidence of IHD, and helps with the prognosis of people at higher risk of coronary complications leading to myocardial infarction.
Excessive drinking, on the contrary, causes over 200 diseases, which makes it a leading cause of deaths globally, i.e., up to three million deaths annually. High-dose alcohol consumption also increases the risk of suicide, per psychiatrists.
Alcohol interacts with multiple drugs, altering its metabolism or its own. Decreased alcohol metabolism could lead to increased blood alcohol levels. For example, a component in wine, resveratrol, interacts with certain drugs and modifies their metabolism.
Polyphenols of the non-flavonoid family present in red wine, like tannins, provide multiple cardiovascular health benefits. It is also anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimutagenic. Nonetheless, all cardiologist agrees that light to moderate alcohol consumption has a positive effect on cardiovascular health, whereas excessive alcohol drinking elevates the risk of CHD mortality, cancers, etc.
Mendelian randomization (MR) approaches analyzed the effects of alcohol consumption on CVDs from a genetic viewpoint and found a much-decreased risk of CHDs in carriers of the alcohol dehydrogenase 1B (ADH1B) gene when they consumed less alcohol.
