Address for correspondence: Giovanni de Gaetano, M.D., Ph.D., Via Milano, 56, 66034 Lanciano, Italy. Voice/fax: + 39-0872-714008.
degaetano{at}cotir.it
Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 957: 174-188 (2002).
Epidemiological studies have suggested that cardiovascular disease
can be decreased by moderate wine consumption, but an overall
quantitative estimation of the relationship between wine intake
and vascular risk is lacking. A meta-analysis was therefore
performed on 19 studies selected on the basis of the availability
of specific information on the cardiovascular relative risk
(RR) associated with wine consumption. A significant risk reduction
(RR: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57-0.75) was associated with moderate (1-2
drinks or 150-300 mL/d) versus no wine consumption. In five
studies which excluded ex-drinkers as reference group, the overall
RR associated with wine consumption was 0.61 (95% CI 0.57-0.75).
A dose-response relation between wine intake and vascular risk
resulted in a J-shaped curve, with a significant risk reduction
at about 300 mL/d (trend analysis
p = 0.032). Two studies were
also performed to investigate the effects of wine polyphenols
on experimental thrombosis in rats. Supplementation for 10 days
with alcohol-free red wine—but not white wine or alcohol—induced
a significant reduction of stasis-induced venous thrombosis,
an effect blunted by NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME. In rats with
diet-induced hyperlipidemia, alcohol-free red wine supplementation
significantly delayed the thrombotic occlusion of an artificial
prosthesis inserted into the abdominal aorta, but did not affect
the increased cholesterol and triglyceride levels. TRAP values
were significantly higher in animals receiving alcohol-free
wine. Altogether these experimental data support an antithrombotic
role of polyphenols in the reduced vascular risk associated
with moderate wine consumption in man, as shown by our epidemiological
studies.
