A cardiovascular team from Taipei Veterans General Hospital came to the conclusion based on a study that investigated the effect of red wine on endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) , rare cells with the ability to repair damage to blood vessel walls, representatives of the team said at a news conference Monday.
In the study, 80 healthy adult volunteers aged 20 to 40 were divided into four groups, with members of three groups consuming a different alcoholic beverage -- 100 cc of French red wine, 250 cc of beer, or 30 cc of vodka -- and one control group drinking nonalcoholic beverages for three consecutive weeks.
"We discovered that the volume of EPC multiplies after the moderate drinking of red wine, " said Huang Po-hsun, an attending physician involved in the study, suggesting a positive correlation between red wine and repairing injured blood vessels.
Asked whether patients should adopt the habit of drinking red wine, Chen Jaw-wen, a cardiologist at the hospital, was not sure.
"Since the study was done on healthy human beings, we cannot say whether it is equally effective on unhealthy people," Chen said.
In terms of prevention and health care, moderate red wine consumption can make blood vessels healthier, Chen said, but he also warned that excessive drinking could hurt body organs.
Huang said that daily consumption of beverages containing 10 percent alcohol should not exceed 30 cc per day, and individuals with cirrhosis and other chronic diseases should be especially careful about their drinking habits.
Citing another study, the Bureau of Health Promotion also warned that while a small amount of wine consumption could lower the risk of coronary artery diseases, excessive drinking could lead to many other health problems.
The study cited by the bureau found that the risk of a person drinking 250 cc of red wine daily is 1.9 times and 2.9 times at risk of getting oropharyngeal cancer and cirrhosis, respectively, than those who never drink.
Red wine has been widely touted as having beneficial medical properties and attributed by some as the explanation for the French paradox -- the fact that the French have a diet heavy in saturated fats but have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease.
Other studies, however, have been unable to establish a verifiable link between red wine and improved cardiovascular health.
(By Nancy Liu)
