BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol intake is related to better health, and additional benefits may be associated with wine. However, beverage preference may be confounded by lifestyle factors related to health. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to describe the associations between alcoholic-beverage preferences and indicators of a healthy diet and other health habits. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included data from 2864 men and 1571 women enrolled in the UNC Alumni Heart Study. Self-reports of drinking habits were used as predictors of health behaviors and of intakes of nutrients and food groups. RESULTS: Subjects who preferred wine had healthier diets than did those who preferred beer or spirits or had no preference. Wine drinkers reported eating more servings of fruit and vegetables and fewer servings of red or fried meats. The diets of wine drinkers contained less cholesterol, saturated fat, and alcohol and more fiber. Wine drinkers were less likely to smoke. Compared with all drinkers, those who drank no alcohol consumed fewer vegetables but more fiber. Nondrinkers were less likely to exercise regularly and had a higher mean body mass index. Controlling for income and education had little effect on these associations. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent health benefits of wine compared with other alcoholic beverages, as described by others, may be a result of confounding by dietary habits and other lifestyle factors. Confounding by lifestyle variables could also be a factor in the previously observed health differences between drinkers and nondrinkers, although the evidence for this association is not as strong.
BACKGROUND: Moderate alcohol intake is related to better health, and additional benefits may be associated with wine. However, beverage preference may be confounded by lifestyle factors related to health. OBJECTIVE: The goal was to describe the associations between alcoholic-beverage preferences and indicators of a healthy diet and other health habits. DESIGN: This cross-sectional study included data from 2864 men and 1571 women enrolled in the UNC Alumni Heart Study. Self-reports of drinking habits were used as predictors of health behaviors and of intakes of nutrients and food groups. RESULTS: Subjects who preferred wine had healthier diets than did those who preferred beer or spirits or had no preference. Wine drinkers reported eating more servings of fruit and vegetables and fewer servings of red or fried meats. The diets of wine drinkers contained less cholesterol, saturated fat, and alcohol and more fiber. Wine drinkers were less likely to smoke. Compared with all drinkers, those who drank no alcohol consumed fewer vegetables but more fiber. Nondrinkers were less likely to exercise regularly and had a higher mean body mass index. Controlling for income and education had little effect on these associations. CONCLUSIONS: The apparent health benefits of wine compared with other alcoholic beverages, as described by others, may be a result of confounding by dietary habits and other lifestyle factors. Confounding by lifestyle variables could also be a factor in the previously observed health differences between drinkers and nondrinkers, although the evidence for this association is not as strong.
Authors: Douglas E Morse; Walter J Psoter; Deborah Cleveland; Donald Cohen; Mireseyed Mohit-Tabatabai; Diane L Kosis; Ellen Eisenberg Journal: Cancer Causes Control Date: 2007-07-24 Impact factor: 2.506
Authors: Melissa J Krauss; Patricia A Cavazos-Rehg; Andrew D Plunk; Laura J Bierut; Richard A Grucza Journal: Alcohol Clin Exp Res Date: 2014-09-24 Impact factor: 3.455
Authors: Darren R Brenner; Gord Fehringer; Zuo-Feng Zhang; Yuan-Chin Amy Lee; Travis Meyers; Keitaro Matsuo; Hidemi Ito; Paolo Vineis; Isabelle Stucker; Paolo Boffetta; Paul Brennan; David C Christiani; Nancy Diao; Yun-Chul Hong; Maria T Landi; Hal Morgenstern; Ann G Schwartz; Gad Rennert; Walid Saliba; John R McLaughlin; Curtis C Harris; Irene Orlow; Juan M Barros Dios; Alberto Ruano Raviña; Jack Siemiatycki; Anita Koushik; Michele Cote; Philip Lazarus; Guillermo Fernandez-Tardon; Adonina Tardon; Loïc Le Marchand; Hermann Brenner; Kai-Uwe Saum; Eric J Duell; Angeline S Andrew; Dario Consonni; Ann Olsson; Rayjean J Hung; Kurt Straif Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Date: 2018-11-13 Impact factor: 2.984
Authors: Rosalind A Breslow; Chiung M Chen; Barry I Graubard; Tova Jacobovits; Ashima K Kant Journal: Am J Clin Nutr Date: 2013-03-27 Impact factor: 7.045
Authors: J W J Beulens; J S Kruidhof; D E Grobbee; N Chaturvedi; J H Fuller; S S Soedamah-Muthu Journal: Diabetologia Date: 2008-07-15 Impact factor: 10.122