Wines and Spirits: It is good to know that the information regarding the protective impact on wellness from moderate wine consumption has been studied, ad nauseam.

For this Landmark Study, 316 existing studies were reviewed to produce the analysis from the relevant 73 studies, culminating with the "Association between wine consumption and cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis."

It was published in September 2023, and included tens of thousands of participants over decades of research. I am barely scratching the surface by simply publishing existing information, and people should look further for greater insight.

What is clear, however is that messaging and interpretation from last week's Surgeon General's report chooses to ignore relevant data.

Background: Alcohol consumption is related to the risk of developing different types of cancer. However, unlike other alcoholic beverages, moderate WINE drinking has demonstrated a PROTECTIVE EFFECT on the risk of developing several types of cancer.

Objective: To analyze the association between wine consumption and the risk of developing cancer.

Methods: We searched the MEDLINE (through PubMed), Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled relative risks (RRs) were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird methods. I2 was used to evaluate inconsistency, the τ2 test was used to assess heterogeneity, and The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale were applied to evaluate the risk of bias. This study was previously registered in PROSPERO, with the registration number CRD42022315864.

Results: Seventy-three (73) studies were included in the systematic review, and 26 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RR for the effect of wine consumption on the risk of gynecological cancers was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.08), that for colorectal cancer was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.03), and that for renal cancer was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.04). In general, the heterogeneity was substantial.

Conclusion: The study findings reveal NO ASSOCIATION between wine consumption and the risk of developing any type of cancer. Moreover, wine drinking demonstrated a PROTECTIVE TREND regarding the risk of developing pancreatic, skin, lung, and brain cancer AS WELL AS CANCER IN GENERAL." (NIH STUDY Sept 2023: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10507274/)

🔹☑️- Renal Cancer: There was no association found between wine consumption and the risk of developing renal cancer. However, previous evidence suggested a lower risk with moderate wine intake, particularly stronger in postmenopausal women.(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1197745/full)

🔹☑️- Prostate Cancer: Some evidence indicates that red wine consumption might be linked to a decreased risk of aggressive prostate cancer, although this was not confirmed by the meta-analysis in the study.[(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10507274/)[(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10507274/)

🔹☑️- Gastric Cancer: The association between alcohol consumption and gastric cancer was weaker among wine drinkers compared to other alcoholic beverage consumers. This might be due to wine's effect on Helicobacter pylori and its potential to increase gastric acidity, which could inhibit bacterial growth.(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1197745/full)

🔹☑️- Colorectal Cancer: Unlike other alcoholic beverages, moderate wine consumption showed a protective effect against colorectal and rectal cancers in some studies. However, the meta-analysis did not find a significant association.(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10507274/)(https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1197745/full)

🔹☑️- Other Cancers: For cancers like pancreatic, skin, lung, brain, upper digestive tract, and general cancer, there was an insufficient number of studies to perform a meta-analysis. However, a graphical representation suggested a protective trend associated with wine consumption for these cancers.

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Monika Elling is a seasoned marketing expert in the consumer packaged goods sector and serves as the CEO and Founder of FMG, an acclaimed brand development agency specializing in wine and spirits.