A recent study from Spain suggests drinking red wine might protect against the development of lung cancer, but consuming the white variety may increase the risk of the disease.1
"Few epidemiological studies have examined the effect of wine on the risk of lung cancer," wrote Juan Barros-Dios, MD, in the department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health at the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain. "A study was, therefore, undertaken to estimate the effect of wine consumption, both overall and by type of wine, on the risk of developing lung cancer."
Interwoven Pathologies
Lung cancer can result in people with a disease known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF),2 a type of scarring of the lung with no known cause. IPF has been associated with inhaled environmental and occupational pollutants, certain medications, and therapeutic radiation, among other things.3
People diagnosed with IPF can also develop pulmonary hypertension as a potential complication.4
Barros-Dios and his team investigated the effect of wine drinking on lung cancer by comparing the incidence of the disease in 132 patients with lung cancer and 187 people who were being treated for other ailments. All individuals were interviewed about their lifestyle habits, particularly if and how much wine they consumed, as well as their tobacco habits.
A Contrasting Effect on Lung Cancer Risk
At the end of the research, the investigators found that there was a slight, but significant association betweendrinking white wine and lung cancer risk. People who drank this beverage once per day faced about 1.2 times the risk, they wrote. People who drank red wine daily, by contrast, had about half the risk of developing cancer of the lung that they might face otherwise. "There was no apparent association between lung cancer and consumption of beer and spirits," they wrote.
While the exact reason why red wine has a protective effect isn't known, the theories are that substances called tannins (TAN-inz) and resveratrol (res-VAIR-uh-trawl), which are found in high levels in red wine, may be the key. Tannins act as antioxidants, preventing destructive molecules in the body known as oxidants, or free radicals, from causing disease. It's also known that resveratrol can fight tumor growth.5
It's not yet known why white wine increases the risk of lung cancer, but the risk was very slight, and only a small number of white wine drinkers were studied, the researchers emphasized.
At the same time, the investigators do not endorse binge drinking to keep lung cancer at bay. The aim of this study, they pointed out, was to investigate wine's anti-cancer properties, not to determine how much wine should be consumed to exert a protective effect.
In the U.S., it's estimated that there will be about 172,570 new cases of lung cancer this year, accounting for about 13% of all cancers. The average age of people diagnosed with lung cancer is 70. The odds of developing the disease for men is about 1 in 13, and about 1 in 18 for women.6
1. Ruano-Ravina A, Figueiras A, Barros-Dios JM. Type of wine and risk of lung cancer: a case-control study in Spain. Thorax 2004 Nov;59(11):981-5.
2. Yoshimura A, Kudoh S. Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis and lung cancer [Translated from Japanese]. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho 2003 Feb;30(2):215-22.
3. Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation. What is Pulmonary Fibrosis? Available at: http://www.pulmonaryfibrosis.org/ipf.htm. Accessed February 18, 2005.
4. Olschewski H, Ghofrani HA, Walmrath D et al. Inhaled prostacyclin and iloprost in severe pulmonary hypertension secondary to lung fibrosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 1999 Aug;160(2):600-7.
5. Provinciali M, Re F, Donnini A et al. Effect of resveratrol on the development of spontaneous mammary tumors in HER-2/neu transgenic mice. Int J Cancer 2005 Feb 1;[Epub ahead of print].
6. American Cancer Society. What Are the Key Statistics for Lung Cancer?
John Martin is a long-time health journalist and an editor for Priority Healthcare. His credits include coverage of health news for the website of Fox Television's The Health Network, and articles for the New York Post and other consumer and trade publications.
