Does Red Wine Really Lead To A Longer Life?

Dry January is a time when the “evils” of alcohol hover over us. The warnings about alcohol feel endless: it might increase your risk of dementia, it might cause cancer, it might kill you.

But if that’s all true, why do so many “Blue Zone” centenarians drink red wine? Why does the American Heart Association say a small amount might reduce your risk of heart attacks? And if it’s that bad, why does the research seem conflicted?

We asked experts to break down what we know about red wine — and alcohol in general — and its impact on lifespan.

In the popular Netflix documentary “Live To 100,” longevity researcher Dan Buettner showed the habits and environment of centenarians who live in the “Blue Zones.” These are places where people tend to live longer than the rest of the world. In two of those communities, Sardinia, Italy, and Ikaria, Greece, drinking red wine is an important daily ritual.

“The majority of people in the Mediterranean Blue Zones — who live up to 10 years longer than Americans do — are drinking a glass or two of local red wine daily, usually with a meal, family and friends. We don’t know if they are living longer because of the wine, the fellowship or the combination of both,” Buettner said in an email to HuffPost.

While this population tends to drink wine as they eat and socialize, they follow other healthy habits, too. Their diet is high in fruits and vegetables, they are close with family and friends, and they get regular exercise. It’s possible that these other practices outweigh the moderate indulgences.

“It remains unknown whether drinking can be part of a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr. Mariann Piano, professor emeritus of nursing at Vanderbilt University. “Clearly, drinking too much — and that includes more than two drinks a day — is associated with many adverse cardiovascular effects. … I think the controversy is more around the low to moderate levels.”

Research clearly shows that excessive alcohol consumption and binge drinking can lead to medical issues, but the impact of lower quantities is more complicated.

Studies have shown that light drinkers may have lower mortality than both abstainers and heavy drinkers. Some researchers contest the finding, but Dr. Eric Rimm, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, attributes it to a reduced risk of cardiovascular disease.

“It does look like people who drink half a drink to one drink a day, which means three to seven drinks a week, live the longest,” Rimm said. “Most of that is explained by the fact that they have lower rates of heart attacks — and heart attacks cause death.”

In fact, heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the developed world.

In June, the American Heart Association released a review showing that low levels of alcohol showed no risk, or potentially lowered risk, of cardiovascular conditions. In small amounts, it can raise good cholesterol, have a blood-thinning effect and lower blood pressure. This was not specific to red wine, though.

You may have heard that the polyphenols, or antioxidants, in red wine are what cause this, but this is unproven. There may not be enough polyphenols in a glass of wine to make a difference, and the cardiovascular impact has also been observed when people drink other types of alcohol.

Your heart isn’t the only area of focus when it comes to your body’s reaction to alcohol. Small quantities may also reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

“Moderate alcohol, 5 to 10 ounces a day, has been shown to potentially reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. Interestingly, some of the studies showed patients even losing a few pounds over time. … And even in our diabetic patients, we’re seeing improvements in blood sugars with moderate alcohol use, in particular with red wine,” said Dr. Steven Zygmont, diabetes and metabolism endocrinologist with Crouse Health.

It’s possible that the polyphenols cause red wine to have a slightly better effect than other drinks, or it may be a result of the way that people typically consume red wine.

Health practitioners have major concerns about communicating these findings, which can easily be misunderstood.

“It’s a really tricky public health message because of all of the dangers of alcohol,” Rimm said. “It’s unlike other things in public health, because if you tell people, ‘you should have more fruits and vegetables,’ they’re not likely to binge on fruits and vegetables on Friday and Saturday. But alcohol has the problem that the pattern is probably equally as important as the amount,” Rimm said.

Given the addictive nature of alcohol, one glass of wine can easily become two or more. It’s a fine line: Drinking a little has a low risk, but increasing the amount can dramatically raise your risk.

Plus, regardless of the other health implications, alcohol — including wine — is a known carcinogen. So, while heart disease remains the leading cause of death, cancer follows closely in second place. When it comes to cancer risk, there’s no safe amount of alcohol.

“Risks related to cancer should not be ignored, and considered on an individual basis,” Piano said. “Some advice we give to people is, ’If you have a really strong family history of cancer, then you may want to have less or no alcohol. Everybody can choose to drink nothing; however, there are many lifestyle behaviors we can engage in to reduce our risk of chronic disease.”

So, what does wine actually look like in the longevity picture?

Keeping the science in mind while looking at the Blue Zones of Sardinia and Ikaria, we see a tradition of drinking wine with meals as part of an overall healthy lifestyle. Wine tends to be shared in social settings over food, which can limit amounts and slow the pace, easing the load as the body works to metabolize toxins.

“I think [red wine] is more linked to other positive eating and physical activity behaviors,” Piano said, pointing to a study that found a small protective association with preferences for wine and consuming alcohol with meals. This could be due to slower alcohol absorption, and it might reflect the lifestyle choices of people who prefer red wine as their drink of choice.

“There are just too many unknowns at this time, except that drinking too much (and that includes more than two drinks a day) is associated with a lot of adverse cardiovascular effects,” Piano said.

Even if there is a protective effect associated with wine, it has serious limits. While light drinkers may have reduced cardiovascular risk, heavier drinkers have a significantly increased risk of heart attack, high blood pressure or stroke. Light drinkers tend to have lower rates of cognitive decline, but heavier drinkers are more likely to develop dementia. Light drinkers are less likely to develop diabetes, but excess drinking is a significant risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.

In 2023, the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction tried to organize this risk into charts to help people understand the continuum, which you can see here.

“Alcohol use cannot be addressed with a blanket statement, which I know is what the public wants,” Piano said. “Nonetheless, from a public health perspective, it is important to highlight the risk of cancer and chronic diseases, with higher consumption linked to greater harm. Be more intentional and mindful about what you’re drinking. … People need to understand what their risk is, and then it’s going to be up to them.”

So, if you are going to drink, is red wine the best choice? It’s possible that wine may have a slight edge over other types of alcohol due to its composition, but its main advantage probably lies in the traditions that surround it. Although there’s no definitive answer, one thing is clear: If you’re going to indulge in red wine, keep portions small, because healthy food and good company seem to be far more important for longevity than wine alone.