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A meta-study published on the scientific online portal Oeno-One concludes that moderate wine consumption does not have a negative impact on the risk of developing or progressing immune-mediated diseases. Immune-mediated diseases include allergies, coeliac disease and type 1 diabetes, neurological inflammatory diseases such as rheumatism, intestinal inflammation and viral infections such as colds and COVID-19. The study analysis by an international team led by researchers from the University of Milan critically evaluated the existing scientific work. The aim of the analysis was to determine whether alcoholic beverages can have a positive or negative influence on the frequency and severity of such illnesses. Only literature in which the beverages analysed (wine, spirits and beer) were specified was evaluated.
Although there is currently a general consensus that alcohol consumption is harmful to the immune system, the scientific studies discussed in this review came to different conclusions. While positive effects are in some cases due to the alcohol itself, for some conditions wine is responsible for more favourable trends compared to other alcoholic beverages.
For example, one finding of the study is that moderate wine consumption has no negative impact on the risk of diabetes complications, while teetotallers and men who consume spirits are at higher risk. Furthermore, the available data suggest that moderate wine consumption even has a protective effect on the development of some viral infections such as the common cold and COVID-19. Confirmatory data was obtained in studies on sparkling, white and red wines, with the latter tending to be the most effective. The researchers attribute this to the content of biologically active molecules. Red wine, which showed the greatest effectiveness, is richest in polyphenols. No protective effect was observed with beer and spirits.
The authors of the study emphasise that the number of studies that met the selected inclusion criteria is only small. However, despite the limited data available, it can be concluded that moderate wine consumption does not increase the risk of immune-mediated diseases or negatively influence their course.
(al / Source: Oeno-One)