Latest scientific news 30 January 2025

New Spanish study using an innovative measure finds cardiovascular benefits of moderate wine consumption

Drinking a small or moderate amount of wine lowers the risk of serious cardiovascular disease in high-risk individuals who are following a Mediterranean diet, according to a new Spanish study (1), led by Professor Ramon Estruch from the University of Barcelona and the Hospital Clinic Barcelona, Spain.

Previous studies examining the effects of moderate wine consumption on cardiovascular health have produced inconsistent results. This may be partly because studies often rely on individuals reporting how much wine they drink. In this new study instead, the researchers measured the amount of a chemical, called tartaric acid, in participants’ urine. This biomarker is regarded as an objective and reliable measure of wine consumption.

The current research is part of a larger Spanish study investigating the effect of a Mediterranean diet (high in olive oil, vegetables, fruit, nuts and fish, and low in sweet or processed food and drinks) in individuals with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). At the the beginning of the study, all participants were free of cardiovascular disease, however, they either had type-2 diabetes, or a combination of CVD risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, being overweight and/or a family history of cardiovascular disease.

The participants completed questionnaires about their eating and drinking habits and urine samples were collected at the start of the study and after one year of following a Mediterranean diet. Tartaric acid is a chemical that is naturally found in grapes and grape-derived products such as wine. It is excreted in urine and it can be used as a  biomarker to show, if someone has consumed wine and/or grapes during last five to six days.

To investigate the effect of drinking wine, a total of 1,232 participants were followed up for 4 to 5 years. During this time, 685 cases of cardiovascular disease (heart attack, coronary revascularisation, stroke or death from cardiovascular disease,) were observed.

Light-to-moderate wine consumption – defined as half to one glass of wine per day-  reduced the risk of developing a cardiovascular event by 50% in this group of individuals at high risk of CVD, who were adhering to a Mediterranean diet. Light drinking (between one glass per week and less than half a glass per day) reduced cardiovascular risk by 38%. However, this protective effect disappeared in participants who consumed more than one glass per day.

The researchers concluded that using an objective and reliable urinary biomarker, they found that light-to-moderate consumption of wine (consumed with meals) was associated with a lower rate of clinical cardiovascular events in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk.

Domínguez-López I, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Razquin C, Arancibia-Riveros C, Galkina P, Salas-Salvadó J, Alonso-Gómez ÁM, Fitó M, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Gómez-Gracia E, Sorlí JV, Ruiz-Canela M, Castañer O, Liang L, Serra-Majem L, Hu FB, Ros E, Martínez-González MÁ, Estruch R. Urinary tartaric acid as a biomarker of wine consumption and cardiovascular risk: the PREDIMED trial. Eur Heart J. 2025 Jan 7;46(2):161-172. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae804. PMID: 39689849; PMCID: PMC11704392.
Domínguez-López I, Lamuela-Raventós RM, Razquin C, Arancibia-Riveros C, Galkina P, Salas-Salvadó J, Alonso-Gómez ÁM, Fitó M, Fiol M, Lapetra J, Gómez-Gracia E, Sorlí JV, Ruiz-Canela M, Castañer O, Liang L, Serra-Majem L, Hu FB, Ros E, Martínez-González MÁ, Estruch R. Urinary tartaric acid as a biomarker of wine consumption and cardiovascular risk: the PREDIMED trial. Eur Heart J. 2025 Jan 7;46(2):161-172. doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehae804. PMID: 39689849; PMCID: PMC11704392.

In an accompanying editorial (2), de Gaetano and colleagues from IRCCS NEUROMED, Pozzilli, Italy commented that the relationship between alcohol consumption, particularly wine, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk remains a topic of ongoing debate, despite decades of related research. Numerous studies have suggested that moderate wine consumption, often defined as one glass per day, preferably during meals, is associated with a reduced risk of total mortality and CVD. However, this apparent protective effect is clouded by persistent uncertainties. The new publication by Domínguez-López et al, sheds new light on this complex relationship by introducing an objective biomarker – urinary tartaric acid – as a measure of wine consumption. Their results provide compelling evidence for wine’s association with lower CVD risk in a Mediterranean population at high cardiovascular risk. This research not only highlights the value of objective biomarkers in nutritional epidemiology but also supports the notion that light-to-moderate wine consumption may be part of a heart-healthy diet. The authors also caution about the risks associated with higher levels of consumption, underscoring the importance of moderation.

Giovanni de Gaetano, Simona Costanzo, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, Wine consumption and cardiovascular health: the unresolved French paradox and the promise of objective biomarkers, European Heart Journal, Volume 46, Issue 2, 7 January 2025, Pages 173–175, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae726
Giovanni de Gaetano, Simona Costanzo, Augusto Di Castelnuovo, Wine consumption and cardiovascular health: the unresolved French paradox and the promise of objective biomarkers, European Heart Journal, Volume 46, Issue 2, 7 January 2025, Pages 173–175, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehae726