White Wine Deemed Beneficial To Lungs

ATLANTA--The antioxidants found in white wine may improve lung function, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) held May 17 to 22. The ATS (thoracic.org) annual meeting hosted more than 14,000 pulmonary and critical physicians, nurses, educators and others in the field. Nearly 5,000 original research presentations were given, among them, this wine study.

The presenting team, from the University at Buffalo, based their research on a random sample of 1,555 people living in Western New York State. The researchers conducted lung-function tests, adjusting for smoking status, as well as weight and nutritional factors. They concluded improved lung function correlated with lifetime wine intake, and that the effect was more pronounced from white wine than red.

"Previous studies suggested that alcohol exposure may be linked to impaired pulmonary function through oxidant-antioxidant mechanisms," said H. J. Schünemann, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and of social and preventive medicine at the University at Buffalo. "Alcohol may be an important source of oxidants; however, wine contains several antioxidants."

Members of the British Thoracic Society said the link between white wine consumption and healthier lungs was not clear and needed more research, which Schünemann noted in his conclusion. One factor agreed upon unanimously was that wine should be consumed in moderation. Over indulgence--even if intended for health reasons--would cause less benefit than damage to the body, such as possibly leading to heart and liver disease.