Skip to main content
Postgraduate Medical Journal logoLink to Postgraduate Medical Journal
. 2001 Mar;77(905):172–176. doi: 10.1136/pmj.77.905.172

Is wine good for your heart? A critical review

N Gall 1
PMCID: PMC1741933  PMID: 11222824

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (106.9 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Artaud-Wild S. M., Connor S. L., Sexton G., Connor W. E. Differences in coronary mortality can be explained by differences in cholesterol and saturated fat intakes in 40 countries but not in France and Finland. A paradox. Circulation. 1993 Dec;88(6):2771–2779. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.88.6.2771. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Chen C. K., Pace-Asciak C. R. Vasorelaxing activity of resveratrol and quercetin in isolated rat aorta. Gen Pharmacol. 1996 Mar;27(2):363–366. doi: 10.1016/0306-3623(95)02001-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Criqui M. H. Alcohol and coronary heart disease risk: implications for public policy. J Stud Alcohol. 1997 Sep;58(5):453–454. doi: 10.15288/jsa.1997.58.453. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Criqui M. H. Alcohol and coronary heart disease: consistent relationship and public health implications. Clin Chim Acta. 1996 Mar 15;246(1-2):51–57. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(96)06226-2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Dimmitt S. B., Rakic V., Puddey I. B., Baker R., Oostryck R., Adams M. J., Chesterman C. N., Burke V., Beilin L. J. The effects of alcohol on coagulation and fibrinolytic factors: a controlled trial. Blood Coagul Fibrinolysis. 1998 Jan;9(1):39–45. doi: 10.1097/00001721-199801000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Doll R. One for the heart. BMJ. 1997 Dec 20;315(7123):1664–1668. doi: 10.1136/bmj.315.7123.1664. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Doll R., Peto R., Hall E., Wheatley K., Gray R. Alcohol and coronary heart disease reduction among British doctors: confounding or causality? Eur Heart J. 1997 Jan;18(1):23–25. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.eurheartj.a015112. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Ducimetière P., Lang T., Amouyel P., Arveiler D., Ferrières J. Why mortality from heart disease is low in France. Rates of coronary events are similar in France and Southern Europe. BMJ. 2000 Jan 22;320(7229):249–250. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Fagrell B., De Faire U., Bondy S., Criqui M., Gaziano M., Gronbaek M., Jackson R., Klatsky A., Salonen J., Shaper A. G. The effects of light to moderate drinking on cardiovascular diseases. J Intern Med. 1999 Oct;246(4):331–340. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2796.1999.00576.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Fenn C. G., Littleton J. M. Interactions between ethanol and dietary fat in determining human platelet function. Thromb Haemost. 1984 Feb 28;51(1):50–53. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Flesch M., Schwarz A., Böhm M. Effects of red and white wine on endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation of rat aorta and human coronary arteries. Am J Physiol. 1998 Oct;275(4 Pt 2):H1183–H1190. doi: 10.1152/ajpheart.1998.275.4.H1183. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Frankel E. N., Waterhouse A. L., Kinsella J. E. Inhibition of human LDL oxidation by resveratrol. Lancet. 1993 Apr 24;341(8852):1103–1104. doi: 10.1016/0140-6736(93)92472-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Frohlich J. J. Effects of alcohol on plasma lipoprotein metabolism. Clin Chim Acta. 1996 Mar 15;246(1-2):39–49. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(96)06225-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Goldberg D. M., Hahn S. E., Parkes J. G. Beyond alcohol: beverage consumption and cardiovascular mortality. Clin Chim Acta. 1995 Jun 15;237(1-2):155–187. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(95)06069-p. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Griffith M. J. A New Year toast ... to the cardioprotective effects of alcohol. Br Heart J. 1995 Jan;73(1):8–9. doi: 10.1136/hrt.73.1.8. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Grønbaek M. Type of alcohol and mortality from cardiovascular disease. Food Chem Toxicol. 1999 Sep-Oct;37(9-10):921–924. doi: 10.1016/s0278-6915(99)00077-0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Hayek T., Fuhrman B., Vaya J., Rosenblat M., Belinky P., Coleman R., Elis A., Aviram M. Reduced progression of atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice following consumption of red wine, or its polyphenols quercetin or catechin, is associated with reduced susceptibility of LDL to oxidation and aggregation. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 1997 Nov;17(11):2744–2752. doi: 10.1161/01.atv.17.11.2744. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hojnacki J. L., Deschenes R. N., Cluette-Brown J. E., Mulligan J. J., Osmolski T. V., Rencricca N. J., Barboriak J. J. Effect of drinking pattern on plasma lipoproteins and body weight. Atherosclerosis. 1991 May;88(1):49–59. doi: 10.1016/0021-9150(91)90256-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Kannel W. B., Ellison R. C. Alcohol and coronary heart disease: the evidence for a protective effect. Clin Chim Acta. 1996 Mar 15;246(1-2):59–76. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(96)06227-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. Klatsky A. L. Alcohol, coronary disease, and hypertension. Annu Rev Med. 1996;47:149–160. doi: 10.1146/annurev.med.47.1.149. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Klatsky A. L. Is it the drink or the drinker? Circumstantial evidence only raises a probability. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Jan;69(1):2–3. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/69.1.2. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Langer R. D., Criqui M. H., Reed D. M. Lipoproteins and blood pressure as biological pathways for effect of moderate alcohol consumption on coronary heart disease. Circulation. 1992 Mar;85(3):910–915. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.85.3.910. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. Law M., Wald N. Why heart disease mortality is low in France: the time lag explanation. BMJ. 1999 May 29;318(7196):1471–1476. doi: 10.1136/bmj.318.7196.1471. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  24. Locher R., Suter P. M., Vetter W. Ethanol suppresses smooth muscle cell proliferation in the postprandial state: a new antiatherosclerotic mechanism of ethanol? Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Feb;67(2):338–341. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/67.2.338. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Merritt R., Guruge B. L., Miller D. D., Chaitman B. R., Bora P. S. Moderate alcohol feeding attenuates postinjury vascular cell proliferation in rabbit angioplasty model. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol. 1997 Jul;30(1):19–25. doi: 10.1097/00005344-199707000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  26. Miyagi Y., Miwa K., Inoue H. Inhibition of human low-density lipoprotein oxidation by flavonoids in red wine and grape juice. Am J Cardiol. 1997 Dec 15;80(12):1627–1631. doi: 10.1016/s0002-9149(97)00755-8. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Paassilta M., Kervinen K., Rantala A. O., Savolainen M. J., Lilja M., Reunanen A., Kesäniemi Y. A. Social alcohol consumption and low Lp(a) lipoprotein concentrations in middle aged Finnish men: population based study. BMJ. 1998 Feb 21;316(7131):594–595. doi: 10.1136/bmj.316.7131.594. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Pace-Asciak C. R., Hahn S., Diamandis E. P., Soleas G., Goldberg D. M. The red wine phenolics trans-resveratrol and quercetin block human platelet aggregation and eicosanoid synthesis: implications for protection against coronary heart disease. Clin Chim Acta. 1995 Mar 31;235(2):207–219. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(95)06045-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Puddey I. B., Croft K. D., Abdu-Amsha Caccetta R., Beilin L. J. Alcohol, free radicals and antioxidants. Novartis Found Symp. 1998;216:51-62; discussion 63-7, 152-8. doi: 10.1002/9780470515549.ch5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  30. Rakic V., Puddey I. B., Dimmitt S. B., Burke V., Beilin L. J. A controlled trial of the effects of pattern of alcohol intake on serum lipid levels in regular drinkers. Atherosclerosis. 1998 Apr;137(2):243–252. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9150(97)00269-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Renaud S. C., Ruf J. C. Effects of alcohol on platelet functions. Clin Chim Acta. 1996 Mar 15;246(1-2):77–89. doi: 10.1016/0009-8981(96)06228-6. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Richard J. L. Les facteurs de risque coronarien. Le paradoxe français. Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss. 1987 Apr;80(Spec No):17–21. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Rimm E. B. Alcohol consumption and coronary heart disease: good habits may be more important than just good wine. Am J Epidemiol. 1996 Jun 1;143(11):1094–1099. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a008684. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Rimm E. B., Klatsky A., Grobbee D., Stampfer M. J. Review of moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of coronary heart disease: is the effect due to beer, wine, or spirits. BMJ. 1996 Mar 23;312(7033):731–736. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7033.731. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Rimm E. B., Williams P., Fosher K., Criqui M., Stampfer M. J. Moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of effects on lipids and haemostatic factors. BMJ. 1999 Dec 11;319(7224):1523–1528. doi: 10.1136/bmj.319.7224.1523. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Ross R. The pathogenesis of atherosclerosis: a perspective for the 1990s. Nature. 1993 Apr 29;362(6423):801–809. doi: 10.1038/362801a0. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  37. Shaper A. G. Alcohol and coronary heart disease. Eur Heart J. 1995 Dec;16(12):1760–1764. doi: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.eurheartj.a060824. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  38. St Leger A. S., Cochrane A. L., Moore F. Factors associated with cardiac mortality in developed countries with particular reference to the consumption of wine. Lancet. 1979 May 12;1(8124):1017–1020. doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(79)92765-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Stampfer M., Rimm E. Why heart disease mortality is low in France. Commentary: alcohol and other dietary factors may be important. BMJ. 1999 May 29;318(7196):1476–1477. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Steerenberg P. A., Korenromp E. L., van Loveren H., Mol D. Q., Geerse L., de Gruijl F. R. Natural killer cell activity during UVR-induced skin tumor formation in the Skh hairless mouse. Photochem Photobiol. 1997 Jan;65(1):150–154. doi: 10.1111/j.1751-1097.1997.tb01891.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Stein J. H., Keevil J. G., Wiebe D. A., Aeschlimann S., Folts J. D. Purple grape juice improves endothelial function and reduces the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation in patients with coronary artery disease. Circulation. 1999 Sep 7;100(10):1050–1055. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.100.10.1050. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  42. Tjønneland A., Grønbaek M., Stripp C., Overvad K. Wine intake and diet in a random sample of 48763 Danish men and women. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Jan;69(1):49–54. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/69.1.49. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Valmadrid C. T., Klein R., Moss S. E., Klein B. E., Cruickshanks K. J. Alcohol intake and the risk of coronary heart disease mortality in persons with older-onset diabetes mellitus. JAMA. 1999 Jul 21;282(3):239–246. doi: 10.1001/jama.282.3.239. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  44. Van Laere J. Over Nonnius, 'dietetiek' en oenologie. Verh K Acad Geneeskd Belg. 1996;58(3):301–317. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Waterhouse A. L., German J. B., Walzem R. L., Hansen R. J., Kasim-Karakas S. E. Is it time for a wine trial? Am J Clin Nutr. 1998 Aug;68(2):220–221. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/68.2.220. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  46. da Luz P. L., Serrano Júnior C. V., Chacra A. P., Monteiro H. P., Yoshida V. M., Furtado M., Ferreira S., Gutierrez P., Pileggi F. The effect of red wine on experimental atherosclerosis: lipid-independent protection. Exp Mol Pathol. 1999 Feb;65(3):150–159. doi: 10.1016/s0014-4800(99)80004-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. de Lorgeril M., Salen P., Martin J. L., Monjaud I., Delaye J., Mamelle N. Mediterranean diet, traditional risk factors, and the rate of cardiovascular complications after myocardial infarction: final report of the Lyon Diet Heart Study. Circulation. 1999 Feb 16;99(6):779–785. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.99.6.779. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. de Lorgeril M., Salen P. Wine ethanol, platelets, and Mediterranean diet. Lancet. 1999 Mar 27;353(9158):1067–1067. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(99)00454-7. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. van Golde P. H., Sloots L. M., Vermeulen W. P., Wielders J. P., Hart H. C., Bouma B. N., van de Wiel A. The role of alcohol in the anti low density lipoprotein oxidation activity of red wine. Atherosclerosis. 1999 Dec;147(2):365–370. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9150(99)00206-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  50. van Tol A., van der Gaag M. S., Scheek L. M., van Gent T., Hendriks H. F. Changes in postprandial lipoproteins of low and high density caused by moderate alcohol consumption with dinner. Atherosclerosis. 1998 Dec;141 (Suppl 1):S101–S103. doi: 10.1016/s0021-9150(98)00226-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Postgraduate Medical Journal are provided here courtesy of BMJ Publishing Group

RESOURCES