Wine: does the colour count?
- PubMed: 8814966
Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether phenolic constituents present in red wine and grape juice modulate plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations in healthy human subjects. All subjects consumed in random order 375 ml of red or white wine per day or 500 ml of two different grape juices (high and low phenols) per day for periods of 4 weeks separated by 2-week periods of abstention while continuing normal activity and food intake, and their normal lives in a community setting. The subjects were 24 healthy males aged 26-45 years screened by clinical examination and laboratory tests to exclude hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and obesity, among others. Fasting blood was collected at the beginning and end of each beverage schedule for analysis of lipids and lipoproteins. Changes in plasma lipids and lipoproteins in response to each beverage were measured to determine whether these were altered by red wine and grape juice phenolics independently of the effects of ethanol. Both grape juices had virtually no effect. Red and white wines raised plasma HDL-cholesterol and apo A-I and apo A-II concentrations as well as the apo A-I:apo B ratio to a similar extent. Red wine also raised plasma triglyceride and total cholesterol concentrations. Neither wine affected plasma apo B or apo (a) concentrations. The favourable effects of wines in modulating plasma lipid and lipoprotein concentrations are probably due to their alcohol content and cannot be reproduced by grape juices.
Author-supplied keywords
Wine: does the colour count?
Eleftherios P. Diamandis a,Cecil R. Pace-Asciak b
1. Introduction
The reduced incidence of mortality from coronary artery disease (CAD)
among moderate consumers of beverage alcohol by comparison with
abstainers has been well-documented in epidemiological studies \[1-3,1.
Increased HDL-cholesterol accounts for at least 50% of this cardioprotec-
tive effect \[4-6,1. A number of lines of evidence suggest that, because of its
high content of flavonoids and other polyphenolic compounds, red wine
may be more beneficial than other alcoholic beverages in lowering CAD
risk \[7,8,1. The trihydroxystilbene r sveratrol has been identified as a
potent modulator of lipid and lipoprotein synthesis in animal and in vitro
experiments \[9,10\]. Since these polyphenols are also present in grape juice,
this beverage merits consideration as an alcohol-free alternative to wine.
The present investigation was undertaken to test if red wine phenolics
promote beneficial alterations in the lipid and lipoprotein profile comple-
mentary to or independant of those induced by ethanol.
2. Subjects and methods
2.1. Beverages
White and red wines from Ontario contained trans-resveratrol <0.01
mg/1 and 4 mg/l, respectively \[11-1. Both contained alcohol 12% by
volume. Commercial grape juice was used alone, and enriched in trans-
resveratrol to a concentration of 4 mg/l. These beverages were adminis-
tered sequentially to all subjects as described below.
2.2. Subjects
Twenty-four healthy males aged 26-45 accustomed to consuming
moderate amounts of alcohol gave informed consent to participate in this
study which was approved by the Human Experimentation Committee of
the University of Toronto, and were admitted after screening by extensive
clinical and laboratory procedures as described \[12,1. Apart from the
periods of wine consumption, o alcohol was permitted, and all agreed to
maintain constant diet and exercise, and to refrain from any form of
medication.
2.3. Experimental
The study design is summarized in Fig. 1. After 2 weeks abstinence,
subjects consumed either wine (375 ml/day) or grape juice (500 ml/day) for
4 weeks. Those starting with commercial grape juice continued with the
resveratrol-enriched grape juice for a further 4 weeks after which they
underwent 2 weeks of abstinence before starting the wine protocol which
included a 2-week period of abstinence prior to switching from one wine
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