Lower rate of metabolic syndrome in moderate wine drinkers with high cardiovascular risk

Compared to non-drinkers, moderate elderly red wine drinkers with a high cardiovascular risk, have a lower risk of developing the Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and the associated metabolic abnormalities.

The metabolic syndrome (MetS), a cluster of metabolic abnormalities, which include obesity, hypertension, low HDL levels, high blood sugar concentrations and high triyglyceride levels; it has become a major public health problem where dietary factors play a crucial role.

A cross-sectional study (*) with data from the PREDIMEDThe PREDIMED study is one of the few randomized controlled trials about the Mediterranean Diet. More... study was carried out to investigate the relationship between red wine consumption and the prevalence of MetS in 5801 elderly Mediterranean individuals at high cardiovascular risk. A prevalence of 67% existed among the study population. Moderate red wine consumption was associated with fewer cases of MetS, mainly due to a reduced risk of an abnormal waist circumference, high blood pressure, low HDL level and high fasting plasma glucose concentrations. The results of the current study further confirm the greater beneficial effects of moderate red wine consumption on the incidence of MetS in women than in men. The incidence of MetS was not related to the consumption of other alcoholic beverages (other than red wine). The authors concluded that moderate red wine drinkers have a lower risk of developing MetS and associated metabolic abnormalities.

Tresserra-Rimbau A, Medina-Remón A, Lamuela-Raventós, Bulló M, Salas-Salvadó J, Corella D, Fitó M, Gea A, Gómez-Gracia E, Lapetra J, Arós F, Fiol M, Ros E, Serra-Majem L, Pintó X, Muñoz MA, Estruch R and on behalf of the PREDIMEDThe PREDIMED study is one of the few randomized controlled trials about the Mediterranean Diet. More... Study investigators, Moderate red wine consumption is associated with a lower prevalence of the metabolic syndrome in the PREDIMEDThe PREDIMED study is one of the few randomized controlled trials about the Mediterranean Diet. More... population, Br J Nutr 2015, 113, S121-S130 

For more information about this article, read the scientific abstract here.