Decades of research have linked moderate wine consumption to cardiovascular health benefits. Many of those studies have focused on the impact of red wine, which is rich in antioxidant organic compounds called polyphenols. But a new study gives fans of white and sparkling wines good reason to cheer. Looking specifically at sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), researchers found that drinking Champagne and white wine was strongly associated with a lower risk.
SCA is the sudden loss of all heart activity, and more than 200,000 Americans suffer from SCA each year. Those people require immediate emergency medical attention to prevent death. The study, published April 28 in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology and conducted by researchers at China’s Fudan University, looked at a wide range of lifestyle factors that might increase or decrease the risk of SCA.
Using data from the U.K. Biobank, a massive study that tracked more than 500,000 patients and examined the impact of many variables on health, the researchers identified 56 factors that either increased or decreased people’s risk of SCA. These included diet, physical and social activity, tobacco smoking and sleep habits—as well as alcohol consumption.
In their initial analysis, the researchers found that drinking any alcohol, drinking red wine, drinking Champagne or white wine, and drinking beer and cider were all associated with a reduced risk of SCA. (The authors refer to Champagne in the study, but all sparkling and white wines were grouped together as one category on the U.K. Biobank questionnaire.) They did not specify how much alcohol people drank. Other factors associated with a lower risk included higher hand grip strength, better lung function and engaging in social activities.
Using a newer statistical method called Mendelian randomization, the researchers further analyzed the data in an attempt to establish causal relationships between risk factors and the incidence of SCA. That analysis identified 9 factors with a causal relation, including drinking sparkling or white wine and eating fruit, both of which reduced risk of SCA. Higher body mass index and systolic blood pressure were among the causal factors that increased risk.
The authors do not speculate about why drinking sparkling or white wine lowered people’s risk of SCA. Previous studies have indicated that alcohol itself may have cardioprotective effects, while other studies have focused on wine’s polyphenols. While red wine contains more phenolic compounds overall, white and sparkling wines contain a range of potentially beneficial polyphenols, including protocatechuic acid. It’s conceivable that those compounds may play a role in protecting against cardiac arrest.
Unlike conventional observational studies, Mendelian randomization can propose (but not prove) causal relationships between risk factors and disease. It’s also less likely to be affected by reverse causation or confounding than observational studies, and it’s much easier and cheaper to perform than a randomized controlled trial. That said, Mendelian randomization is subject to its own set of limitations, and it relies on certain assumptions. The validity of those assumptions will affect the strength and accuracy of the results.
Since the U.K. Biobank mostly includes relatively healthy, older white adults, the study’s findings may not be applicable to more diverse populations. And while the results are encouraging, they don’t indicate an amount of wine consumption that reduces risk the most. For that, further study is needed.
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