Drink yourself healthy

Good news, gentlemen: drinking wine in moderation may actually be good for your health, scientists say. French studies have shown that in middle-aged men, moderate wine consumption is associated with a lower mortality from cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Two presenters at the WineHealth 2013 conference will outline international scientific research into the impact of wine on cognitive function and healthy ageing; the interaction of wine, diet and lifestyle; and the nutritional benefits of wine compounds.

Dr Dominique Lanzmann-Petithory from the Paris X University and Bordeaux University in France will present findings from a French study that demonstrated that in middle-aged men, moderate wine consumption was associated with a lower mortality from cardiovascular disease (-40%) and from cancer (-20%).

The study followed 98,063 subjects 40-65 years old, evaluating major biological and biometrical parameters, as well as drinking habits including types of alcoholic beverages. After 21 to 28 years of follow-up, causes of death were obtained and cross-referenced with drinking habits.

In another study, higher levels of alcohol consumption were correlated with an increase in risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, wine consumption (>50% of alcohol intake from wine), irrespective of quantity, was correlated with a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic diseases and cancers including lung, lip, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, bladder and rectal, while there was no relationship with colon, stomach, pancreas, liver and prostate cancers.

Wine may not just be good for your health; it could also help your memory, too. Professor Jeremy Spencer from the University of Reading will present the results of a study into the effects of hydroxycinnamates and phenolic acids - phenolic compounds found in foods and beverages such as wine - on spatial memory.

Champagne is reportedly high in hydroxycinnamates and phenolic acids. Professor Spencer and his team investigated the effects of moderate Champagne wine intake on spatial memory and related mechanisms relative to alcohol- and energy-matched controls.

The team found that supplementation with Champagne for six weeks led to an improvement in spatial working memory in rodents. According to Professor Spencer, the data suggest that smaller phenolic compounds found in wine such as gallic acid, protocatechuic acid, tyrosol, caftaric acid and caffeic acid, in addition to flavonoid phenolic compounds, are capable of exerting improvements in spatial memory via the modulation in hippocampal signalling and protein expression.

WineHealth 2013 conference delegates will hear from 27 speakers from 10 countries who are experts in cardiovascular health, pharmacology, ageing, cognitive function, nutrition and lifestyle and psychology. More information about the conference is available from www.winehealth.com.au.