New Study Finds No Link Between Wine Consumption and Increased Cancer Risk or Mortality in Healthy Seniors

A recent study indicates that minimal alcohol consumption can increase mortality risk, particularly in the elderly with pre-existing health or socioeconomic challenges.

Previous research has often shown that light to moderate alcohol intake, particularly wine, might have some health benefits. However, it is well-documented that alcohol can increase the likelihood of certain cancers, and excessive consumption leads to significant health hazards.

The discrepancy in outcomes from moderate alcohol use—why it is seemingly harmless or even beneficial for some, yet detrimental for others—remains unclear. A new investigation focuses on understanding how older adults are affected by alcohol and whether the impacts of light and moderate consumption differ between individuals in good health and those with health issues or lower socioeconomic status.

This research, recently published in JAMA Network Open by teams from the Autonomous University of Madrid, Harvard, and other entities, reveals that alcohol’s risks vary with socio-economic and health statuses. Specifically, it shows that elderly individuals with pre-existing health issues or economic hardships face higher mortality rates from cancer when they consume alcohol lightly. In contrast, those without such factors do not exhibit increased mortality risks under moderate drinking conditions. The findings also suggest a lowered risk of alcohol-related health issues when consumption is limited primarily to wine and when alcohol is taken with meals.

The study explores a contradiction related to health and aging. As individuals age, they often face more health issues and are likely to be on multiple medications which might interact negatively with alcohol. This implies that older adults could experience more harm from alcohol consumption.

Conversely, certain studies indicate that older individuals might benefit most from moderate alcohol intake, mainly due to potential protection against conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, frailty, and other health issues. Wine in particular contains compounds that may guard against cognitive decline and dementia. The social perks of drinking, whether with a spouse or friends, can also be significant for older adults.

The recent research highlights that older adults with pre-existing socioeconomic and health risks don’t get health benefits from alcohol, and they might face greater risks even from minimal drinking. However, healthy drinkers in more affluent demographics did not show increased risks.

The researchers analyzed data from over 135,000 current drinkers aged 60 and above using the U.K. Biobank, a comprehensive public health survey. They categorized these individuals based on their typical daily alcohol consumption into four groups: occasional drinkers (roughly one-fifth of a glass of wine for both genders, equivalent to one glass every five days), low risk (up to 1.5 glasses for men and three-quarters of a glass for women), moderate risk (up to 3 glasses for men and 1.5 glasses for women), and high risk (more than 3 glasses for men and more than 1.5 glasses for women).

Researchers categorized individuals based on their preferred type of alcohol and their drinking habits, such as consuming alcohol with meals or outside of meals. Individuals who primarily consumed over 80 percent of a single type of alcohol were recognized as having a preference for that specific drink. Additionally, subjects were sorted into groups of those who drank solely during meals, solely outside of meals, or without specific timing.

Subsequently, individuals with health and socioeconomic risks were compared against those without such risks. Health risks were assessed using a frailty index that evaluates 49 health issues, including diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and cancer. Socioeconomic status was evaluated by the Townsend deprivation index, which calculates socioeconomic deprivation in the U.K. based on home and car ownership, unemployment, and house overcrowding.

For those having both health and socioeconomic risks, lower and moderate alcohol consumption was linked to a higher mortality rate, particularly from cancer. Conversely, for individuals without these risks, no additional health risks were identified for low to moderate alcohol intake compared to infrequent consumption.

Focusing on individuals with either health or socioeconomic risks, those who had a preference for wine and drank during meals saw a decrease in mortality risk, especially from cancer. The benefits noted ranged from a 7 percent decrease in death for those with health issues and drinking during meals, to a 17 percent decrease for those with socioeconomic risks and consuming alcohol only during mealtimes.

Individuals without health issues who favored wine and restricted their consumption to meal times exhibited a lower risk of mortality from all causes compared to those with different drinking habits. Additionally, the risk of death associated with alcohol from cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and all causes appeared lower or null for individuals who consumed wine with meals across various categories of drinkers.

The study suggests that consuming wine at meals could be safer due to factors like healthier lifestyle choices, slower absorption of alcohol, or the beneficial non-alcoholic components found in wine, such as polyphenols. Wine drinkers generally tend to adopt healthier behaviors compared to nondrinkers and those who prefer beer or spirits. They likely exhibit more moderate attitudes towards alcohol consumption and tend to drink more slowly at meals, which might contribute to a less risky drinking experience over time.

In conclusion, although the study doesn’t prove overall health benefits from alcohol consumption, it does support the concept that moderate wine consumption during meals is a relatively safer way to drink alcohol.

Like all observational studies, the referenced research cannot establish causality. It was based on lifestyle surveys, which may not always yield accurate data, and alcohol intake was only assessed at the study’s start. Thus, any change in alcohol consumption habits over time was not captured. Additionally, the study participants were primarily from the U.K. and predominantly white, limiting the applicability of the findings to other demographic groups.

The study has several strengths. The researchers controlled for many confounding factors, including sex, ethnicity, smoking and education. Researchers also excluded people who engaged in binge drinking, which is known to have deleterious effects on health, to avoid grouping occasional binge drinkers with low average alcohol intake in the low-risk group, which could have skewed results.

Many alcohol studies don’t look at the effects of different types of alcohol or of drinking with food, but this one focused its analysis on those consumption habits. And while it’s common to control for socioeconomic status and preexisting conditions, the researchers claim that theirs is the first study to examine the differential effects of alcohol depending on those factors.

It’s common for studies that link drinking to health benefits to compare drinkers to non-drinkers. Some researchers, particularly those who claim no level of drinking is safe, have argued that this practice results in skewed data due to what they call “the sick quitter hypothesis,” which posits that many non-drinkers are actually people who used to drink, became ill and stopped consuming alcohol. That comparison, the thinking goes, makes current drinkers seem healthier than they actually are. By comparing apples to apples—drinkers to other drinkers—the researchers hoped to avoid any potential distortion.

Many past studies, however, attempted to minimize the sick quitter effect by excluding former drinkers and people with certain health conditions from the non-drinking dataset. Experts also disagree about how significant the sick quitter phenomenon really is.

The study presents an intriguing case of how advanced statistical methods can alter our perceived relationships between alcohol consumption and health. However, definitive evidence of alcohol’s risks or benefits still necessitates a controlled experiment, which is the pinnacle of scientific study and a target not yet attained.

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About the Author: Chris Lehoux

Meet Chris Lehoux, an experienced wine connoisseur and dedicated blogger with a deep passion for all things wine-related. With years of expertise in the industry, Chris shares insightful wine reviews, valuable wine tasting tips, expert pairing advice, and captivating tales of vineyard visits. Join Chris on a journey through the world of wine, where every sip is an adventure waiting to be savored!