Whether it’s counting how many calories or carbohydrates are in each drink, the debate on whether wine is better for you than beer has long rumbled on.
But now, research has revealed that it’s good news for those who like to indulge in a sauvignon over a pint of lager – because you could end up living longer.
A major study of more than 340,000 adults in Britain found that the health risks associated with drinking alcohol is not only how much you drink, but your choice of beverage, too.
It was uncovered that wine drinkers are at a ‘significantly lower risk of death’ than those who prefer to reach for a beer, cider or even spirits.
The researchers also found that people who opted for a moderate intake of wine were far less likely to develop heart–related diseases than those who drank beer, cider and spirits at a low rate.
Zhangling Chen, a professor at Central South University in China and the study’s senior author, said the findings emphasise ‘that the health risks of alcohol depend not only on the amount of alcohol consumed, but also on the type of beverage’.
Prof Chen added: ‘Even low to moderate intake of spirits, beer or cider is linked to higher mortality, while low to moderate intake of wine may carry lower risk.’
Their study was conducted over a 13–year period and observed adults on the UK Biobank scheme – a resource containing the medical information of volunteers with the aim of improving Britain’s health.
A new study has found that wine drinkers could be at a lower risk of death than those who consume beer, cider and spirits
The team classed moderate drinkers as men who consumed between 20g to 40g of alcohol per day, and women who drank 10g to 20g every day.
That equals around one-and-a-half to three 5oz glasses of wine for a man per day, and 0.75 to one-and-a-half for women.
The study found that moderate wine drinkers had a 21 per cent lower risk of dying from cardiovascular disease compared with people who occasionally or never drink alcohol.
Meanwhile, drinkers of spirits, beers and ciders were found to have a 9 per cent higher risk of dying from such diseases.
Prof Chen said: ‘Taken together, these factors suggest that the type of alcohol, how it is consumed and the associated lifestyle behaviors all contribute to the observed differences in mortality risk.’
It was found that numerous lifestyle factors could have impacted the results, however, with wine drinkers typically associated with healthier diets and higher levels of wealth.
Furthermore, wine drinkers were more likely to consume their alcohol with meals, which is seen as a healthier habit, while spirits, cider and beer drinkers did not.
The study also revealed that alcohol consumption overall was linked with worse health and a greater risk of developing serious diseases.
Compared to those who only drink occasionally or in some cases never, high alcohol consumers – who drink more than the moderate levels – were 36 per cent more likely to die from cancer, 24 per cent more likely to die from any cause and 14 per cent more likely to die from heart disease.
The research’s comparison with non–drinkers should be treated with caution because these groups can contain people who do not consume alcohol due to existing health problems and illnesses.
The authors also suggested that future trials could be a more effective way to continue researching their findings, as theirs was observational – meaning the cause and effects of what they found cannot be proven.