Search resultsDaily moderate amounts of red wine or alcohol have no effect on the immune system of healthy men
Title
Daily moderate amounts of red wine or alcohol have no effect on the immune system of healthy men
Publication type
Journal Article
Year of Publication
2004
Authors
Journal
European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
Volume
58
Issue
1
Pagination
40 - 45
Date published
2004
ISBN
09543007 (ISSN)
Keywords
Adult, alcohol, alcohol consumption, Alcohol Drinking, alcoholic beverage, anthocyanin, apoptosis, article, cardiovascular disease, cardiovascular risk, cell function, controlled study, correlation analysis, Cross-Over Studies, cytokine production, Cytokines, cytolysis, dilution, drinking behavior, Ethanol, Flavonoids, Germany, grape juice, health status, human, human experiment, Humans, immune response, immune system, Immunity, Cellular, immunocompetent cell, interleukin 2, interleukin 4, lymphocyte, lymphocyte activation, lymphocyte proliferation, male, messenger RNA, monocyte, natural killer cell, neutrophil, normal human, phagocytosis, Phenols, polyphenol, Red grape juice, red wine, Single-Blind Method, transforming growth factor beta, tumor necrosis factor alpha, Vitis sp., wine
Abstract
Objective: To investigate whether the daily intake of red wine (RW) at a dose which inversely correlates with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk modulates immune functions in healthy men. Design: Randomized single-blind trial with four intervention periods. Setting: The Institute of Nutritional Physiology, Federal Research Centre for Nutrition, Karlsruhe, Germany. Subjects: A total of 24 healthy males with moderate alcohol consumption patterns were recruited and all completed the study. Intervention: Participants consumed 500 ml of RW (12% ethanol (ETOH)) or 500 ml of a 12% ETOH dilution per day for a period of 2 weeks. To control the potential effects of RW polyphenols, accordingly 500 ml/day of dealcoholized red wine (DRW) and of red grape juice (RGJ) were given. The following immune parameters were measured before beverage consumption and at 1 and 2 weeks following beverage consumption: phagocytic activity of neutrophils and monocytes, production of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), interleukin-2 and -4, transforming growth factor-β, TNFα mRNA, lymphocyte proliferation, lytic activity of natural killer cells, and percentage of apoptotic lymphocytes. Results: Consumption of a moderate volume of alcohol with RW and with a 12% ETOH dilution had no effect on immune functions in healthy males. Consumption of polyphenol-rich beverages (DRW and RGJ) did not affect immunity-related parameters. Conclusions: Daily moderate consumption of alcohol and of RW for 2 weeks at doses which inversely correlate with CVD risk has no adverse effects on human immune cell functions. Polyphenol-rich beverages such as RGJ and DRW further do not suppress immune responses in healthy men.