Search resultsAcute intake of moderate amounts of red wine or alcohol has no effect on the immune system of healthy men
Title
Acute intake of moderate amounts of red wine or alcohol has no effect on the immune system of healthy men
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2002
Authors
Journal
European Journal of Nutrition
Volume
41
Issue
6
Pagination
264 - 270
Date published
2002
ISBN
14366207 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alcohol, alcohol blood level, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, anthocyanin, Anthocyanins, antioxidant, antioxidant activity, article, Beverages, Cohort Studies, controlled study, cytokine production, Cytokines, Ethanol, Flavonoids, grape juice, human, human cell, human experiment, Humans, immune system, immunomodulating agent, immunomodulation, interleukin 2, interleukin 4, lymphocyte activation, lymphocyte proliferation, male, monocyte, natural killer cell, neutrophil, normal human, phagocytosis, Phenols, Polymers, polyphenol, Prospective Studies, Red grape juice, red wine, Reference Values, tumor necrosis factor alpha, Vitis sp., wine
Abstract
Background: A recent prospective cohort study revealed that moderate wine consumption but not consumption of other alcoholic beverages is associated with a decreased risk of common cold. In contrast, wine constituents such as ethanol and polyphenols are known to suppress immunity. Aim of the study: We investigated whether acute intake of a moderate amount of alcohol modulates immune functions in healthy men and whether polyphenols in red wine with antioxidative and immunomodulatory potential induce changes in immune functions that differ from those induced by the consumption of the 12% ethanol. Methods: Six healthy males with moderate alcohol consumption patterns randomly consumed a single dose of 500 ml of red wine (12% ethanol), a 12% ethanol dilution, dealcoholized red wine, and red grape juice, respectively. The following immune functions were measured before beverage consumption and 1, 3, and 24 h later: phagocytic activity and intensity of neutrophils and monocytes, production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-2, and interleukin-4, lymphocyte proliferation, and lytic activity of natural killer cells. Results: Acute consumption of a moderate amount of red wine and of a 12% ethanol solution had no effect on immune functions in men. Acute consumption of polyphenol-rich beverages (dealcoholized red wine and red grape juice) also did not affect immunity. Conclusions: This study clearly shows that moderate consumption of alcohol at doses which inversely correlate with cardiovascular disease risk has no short-term effect on human immune cell functions. Acute intake of polyphenol-rich beverages such as red grape juice and dealcoholized red wine also does not affect immunity.