Wine consumption in context of dietary and lifestyle habits

Even though the detrimental health effects of heavy drinking are well-documented in the literature, there are inconsistent findings regarding the safety of light-to-moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages. In particular, little is still known about the consumption of specific alcoholic beverages in the context of dietary habits and lifestyle, which could influence the health status. The current review summarised and critically evaluated the evidence of the relationship between alcoholic beverage preference and consumer dietary and lifestyle habits. A literature search identified 26 articles as suitable to be included in the publication.

This review has demonstrated that alcoholic beverage preference is associated with specific dietary and lifestyle habits, including drinking patterns and absolute consumption of alcoholic beverages. Individuals with a wine preference generally had healthier dietary and lifestyle habits than individuals with other preferences, which was mainly observed in Northern European and US studies and, to a lesser extent, in Mediterranean countries. The latter discrepancy could be explained by the fact that the Mediterranean diet is a cultural heritage in Southern Europe and is not limited to certain consumer groups and, therefore, differences between alcoholic beverages can be expected to be less marked. Those who preferred beer and spirits displayed less healthy dietary habits, without any regional discrepancies arising from the country where the studies were carried out. The observed relationships between wine preference and a healthier dietary and lifestyle profile could be attributed to cultural, personal (beliefs, concerns, perceptions and attitudes), behavioural and socio-demographic factors and their latent interrelations.

The authors concluded that the alcoholic beverage preference seems to be correlated with specific dietary and lifestyle habits. The adherence to a healthier diet and lifestyle was generally observed in light-to-moderate alcohol consumers, especially when wine was the preferred beverage. Considering that the alcoholic beverage preference is linked to specific dietary and lifestyle patterns and taking into account the potentially strong impact of drinking patterns on health and the risk of developing chronic diseases, the data summarised in this review highlight that alcoholic beverage preferences, drinking patterns, dietary patterns and lifestyle should be studied together. Thus, from a public health perspective, it appears that drinking pattern, dietary pattern and lifestyle should be examined in combination and as such be evaluated in any future epidemiological studies analysing the association between alcoholic beverages intake and the impact on health.

Source: Kosti, R. I., Di Lorenzo, C., Panagiotakos, D. B., Sandeman, G., Frittella, N., Iasiello, B., Teissedre, P.- L. ., & Restani, P. (2021). Dietary and lifestyle habits of drinkers with preference for alcoholic beverage: does it really matter for public health? A review of the evidence. OENO One, 55(4). doi.org/10.20870/oenoone.2021.55.4.4757

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