Consumption of white wine retards development of atherosclerosis and affects anticoagulation

BACKGROUND: An inverse relationship between moderate alcohol use and coronary heart disease was found in various countries. Aims of the study were to find out whether drinking of moravian white wine will have the same effect on lipoproteins and fibrinogen as described in foreign wines. Blood pressure, body mass, blood glucose and a hepatic enzyme were also measured before and after drinking. METHODS AND RESULTS: Drinking of the Moravian white wine (vintage 1999; alcohol 11.48 vol %) was studied in 50 men aged 44.4 (SD 9.25) years. Drinking of 350 ml (40.2 g of alcohol) every evening for four weeks without any change of dietary factors followed in 45 men by statistically significant increase in HDL cholesterol from 1.17 to 1.25 mmol/l (p < 0.001) and free HDL cholesterol from 0.17 to 0.20 mmol/l (p < 0.0001) and highly significant (p < 0.00001) decrease in plasma fibrinogen level from 3.77 to 3.35 g/l. Nor triglycerides, or blood glucose and BMI were changed after increasing source of carbohydrates in wine. Mean systolic blood pressure of 123.4 mmHg did not change and diastolic blood pressure decreased insignificantly from 78.0 to 76.7 mmHg. Minimal decrease of ALT from 0.60 to 0.59 mukat/l disproved any hepatic disturbance. CONCLUSIONS: Everynight moderate drinking of Moravian white wine has similar beneficial effect as consumption of foreign alcohol drinks.