Pubdate: Mon, 13 Sep 1999 Source: International Herald-Tribune Copyright: International Herald Tribune 1999 Contact: http://www.iht.com/ Page: 4 Author: Reuters WINE IS HEALTHIER THAN BEER, STUDY SAYS Drinking a few glasses of wine a day is more of a lifesaver than drinking beer, perhaps because of cancer-fighting compounds in wine, according to the findings of a study of more than 36,000 middle-aged Frenchmen. The study showed that moderate wine drinkers had a death rate from heart attacks that was 45 percent to 48 percent lower than those who abstained from drinking. Red wine particularly contains antioxidants that may help prevent heart disease. Beer drinkers were found to have a 42 percent lower rate of fatal heart attacks than nondrinkers, but not as low as the wine drinkers. But the wine drinkers in the study also had a significantly lower risk of dying from all causes than either beer drinkers or nondrinkers, when adjusted for such factors as age and smoking. Previous studies have shown that drinking one to three glasses of wine daily can lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. And as with other health studies involving alcohol, the researchers were careful to issue a cautionary note. "Because of the potential health hazards of any alcoholic beverage, our results suggesting that a few glasses of wine may have salutary effects should not be interpreted as an incentive to drink," Wrote the French study's authors, Serge Renaud and Roger Salamon, of the National Institute for Health and Medical Research in Bordeaux, and Gerard Siest and Rene Gueguen, of the Center of Preventive Medicine in Vandoeuvre-les-Nancy. "If you drink alcoholic beverages," they wrote, "do so in moderation, with meals and when consumption does not put you or others at risk." While drinking alcohol increases the risk of cancer, the researchers said, substances found in wine such as resvaratrol may more than compensate by inhibiting development of the disease. The study is in the Archives of Internal Medicine, a journal published by the American Medical Association. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake