Red Wine and Vascular Reactivity: Evidence And Uncertainties

Despite the absence of long-term randomized clinical trials on alcohol consumption, several studies have found that light to moderate alcohol consumption is associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality and a decreased risk of Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) compared with no alcohol consumption or excessive alcohol consumption. However, other studies have questioned this benefit, and no level of alcohol consumption has been shown to be beneficial for other cardiovascular disease outcomes (stroke, hypertension, heart failure, etc.).

The French paradox, which states that mortality from CAD is lower in France than would be expected from the country’s high national prevalence of smoking and saturated fat consumption, has been attributed to the frequent consumption of red wine, which contains phenolic and flavonoid substances with antithrombotic and antioxidant properties. Its consumption has also been associated with improvements in heart rate variability, which may contribute to a better prognosis of CAD.

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