The researchers wanted to find out what the cardiometabolic effects would be when patients with type 2 diabetes took up drinking moderate amounts of alcohol; they also wanted to assess whether the type of wine would matter.
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But in the current study, the superiority of red wine over white wine in improving diabetes patients’ health suggests that alcohol is not the only thing at work here. Iris Shai, principal investigator of the CASCADE trial, and a member of the Department of Public Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences, “The differences found between red and white wine were opposed to our original hypothesis that the beneficial effects of wine are mediated predominantly by the alcohol”.
The red wine drinkers experienced the most significant changes in lipid variables, suggesting the potential synergy of moderate alcohol intake with specific nonalcoholic wine constituents.
A cup of wine at dinner is risk-free and possibly beneficial to people with class 2 or more diabetes, a brand new pilot recommend. They predicted similar effects of red and white wine.
The researchers concluded that “initiating moderate wine intake, especially red wine, among well-controlled diabetics, as part of a healthy diet, is apparently safe, and modestly decreases cardio-metabolic risk”.
Doctors have known that alcohol can be heart healthy for many people, but it was unclear for patients with diabetes exactly what was helpful. They were randomly assigned 150ml of mineral water, white wine or red wine to drink with their evening meal over a period of two years. Blood pressure, lever biomarkers, medication, symptoms, and quality of life were measured at various times. Each group also adhered to a Mediterranean diet (high in fish, nuts, olive oil).
Primary outcomes included lipid and glycemic control measures. However, sleep quality was significantly improved in both wine groups, compared with the water control group. Approximately one in five participants was found to be a fast alcohol-metabolizer, identified through ADH enzyme genetic variants tests. “In the combined red and white wine group, however, the improvements in glycemic control were mostly achieved among carriers of ADH1B*1.” And because only wine was consumed in the study, the findings can not be extrapolated to consumption of beer and spirits. Compared to participants who drank mineral water, those in the red wine group had fewer of those conditions, such as a large waistline and high blood pressure, for example.
Limitations include the participants not being blinded to treatment allocation, but the long-term nature of the study is a strength.
Garret Rubin said, “Fats and salt and sugar”.
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One study released previous year at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology found that red wine only prevented cardiovascular disease in those who already exercised.
