A new review put red wine and white wine head-to-head to see which beverage leads to greater cancer risk

Red Wine Vs. White Wine: Is One Actually Healthier When It Comes to Cancer Risk? Here's what researchers found

• New research comparing red and white wine found that both drinks increase cancer risk, challenging the idea that red wine is healthier.
• The antioxidants in red wine may offer some benefit for heart health, but experts said there’s likely no significant health difference between red and white wine.
• To prevent cancer, experts recommended not drinking alcoholic beverages of any kind.

Many people like to unwind with a glass of wine at the end of a long day—but is it healthier to pour a glass of red or white?

There’s been a longstanding debate about how drinking alcohol might affect your health, particularly whether certain types of alcoholic beverages are healthier than others.

Red wine—with its higher concentration of antioxidants—has garnered a reputation for being a better choice, with some research suggesting it could have positive effects on blood pressure, and reduce heart disease and cancer risk.

But according to new research, red wine may not deserve its pedestal.

A meta-analysis of 42 observational studies spanning almost 96,000 participants found no evidence that consuming red wine lowers cancer risk more than white wine. Rather, all alcohol consumption raises cancer risk.

The study was published in Nutrients on Jan. 31.

The findings “go hand in hand” with the advisory from the Office of the Surgeon General released this year, which warns Americans about alcohol and cancer risk, said Dale Shepard, MD, PhD, hematologist and medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic.

“Something like 100,000 cancer cases can be linked to alcohol consumption,” Shepard told Health. “Any time we can remind the public about ways [that modifying] their lifestyle choices can limit cancer risk is important.”

Red Wine, White Wine, and Cancer Risk

Though there’s been ample research showing the link between alcohol and cancer in general, “there have been few large-scale studies directly comparing red wine to white wine in terms of cancer risk,” study co-lead author Eunyoung Cho, ScD, associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health, told Health.

This is what prompted Cho and her colleagues to analyze the available research out there.

In the end, "our findings revealed no significant difference in cancer risk between red and white wine overall," Cho explained.

However, there were two specific areas in which white wine did have greater association with cancer.

The researchers found drinking white wine was connected to a 22% increased overall risk of developing skin cancer. And among women, white wine consumption resulted in a 26% higher overall cancer risk.

It’s not totally clear why this might be the case, Cho said.

In regards to the link between skin cancer and white wine consumption, “one possibility is that heavy alcohol consumption might be linked to high-risk behaviors such as sunburn, indoor tanning, or insufficient sunscreen use,” she explained.

“But it’s still unclear why white wine appears to be the key factor,” Cho said. “Our study suggests that more research is needed to better understand the potential mechanisms behind this.”

There were other limitations to this research, too. This was a meta-analysis of observational studies, so data on wine intake came from self-reported questionnaires. Additionally, case-controlled studies—which accounted for about half of the studies included in the analysis—may be more prone to recall bias.

Still, Cho said that this is “one of the largest and first” studies of its kind to challenge “the belief that red wine is inherently healthier than white wine.”

Why Does Alcohol Raise Cancer Risk?

There are several mechanisms that have been proposed as potential links between wine or alcohol consumption and the development of various cancers, Shepard said.

First, when your liver metabolizes alcohol, it releases a toxic byproduct called acetaldehyde, he explained. This can damage DNA, sometimes turning cells cancerous.

Alcohol can cause oxidative stress in your cells too, further damaging DNA.

Hormonal function is also a concern, with some research suggesting that alcohol consumption can alter estrogen levels, leading to greater breast cancer risk. This might explain some of the gender differences seen in Cho's study.

Shepard added that alcohol is the third leading cause of preventable cancers behind tobacco use and obesity, and these factors can play off one another.

“Alcohol can actually increase the absorption of carcinogens from tobacco, for instance,” he said. “If you drink and smoke at the same time, carcinogens can be absorbed easier.”

Limiting Alcohol Intake Is the Healthiest Choice

The notion that red wine has some added health benefits in comparison to white wine isn’t completely without merit—red wine contains the antioxidant resveratrol, a class of plant compound that has been linked to heart health benefits, Cho and Shepard explained.

And several experimental studies have shown that resveratrol can “inhibit cancer growth in cell-based models,” said Cho.

But with the results of this study—coupled with the fact that alcohol is a carcinogen—Shepard said he doesn’t really believe there’s much of a “health difference between red and white wine.”

“Red wine has been thought of as being helpful from a health perspective, and I think a lot of that comes from cardiovascular health studies,” he said. “But I do think then that drifts into the public [consciousness], where people think ‘red wine is better for you than white wine.’”

Shepard said this research and other studies can counter the idea that there’s a clear difference between red and white wine and combat the potentially dangerous misconception that drinking more red wine is good for you.

The most important thing to remember is that all of our lifestyle choices—including what we consume—can impact our risk for cancer, Shepard emphasized. It’s all about minimizing one’s risk.

“Not drinking alcoholic beverages is one of the best practices for cancer prevention,” Cho stressed.

As always, consult your healthcare provider for more information about how to reduce your cancer risk and make achievable lifestyle modifications to improve your health overall.

Edited by Health, where she edits and publishes news articles on trending health and wellness topics. Her work has been featured in The Heights, an independent student newspaper at Boston College, and Minnesota Monthly." tabindex="0" data-inline-tooltip="true"> Julia Landwehr Julia Landwehr Julia is the associate news editor for Health, where she edits and publishes news articles on trending health and wellness topics. Her work has been featured in The Heights, an independent student newspaper at Boston College, and Minnesota Monthly. learn more

This story originally appeared on: Health News - Author:Brian Mastroianni