Moderate consumption of red wine may slash the risk of lung cancer in men by as much as 60 per cent. The antioxidants present in red wine were proposed to play a key role in the prevention of lung cancer, particularly amongst smokers, according to findings published in the October edition of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.
Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 compounds, of which 60 are known carcinogens. The oxidative stress levels of smokers are significantly greater than non-smokers, and as such there is a bigger drain on the levels of antioxidants in the body. The study is the first to take into account such lung cancer-related factors such as passive smoking, socio-economic status and dietary intake, all of which are known to be associated with alcoholic intake, said researchers from the Kasier Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation. The study involved the analysis of data of 78,168 men from the California Men’s Health Study (CMHS), which was set up to investigate the causes of various types of cancer.
The study reported that there was on average a 2 per cent lower risk of lung cancer associated with each glass of red wine consumed per month. Amongst ever-smokers with a pack-year history of at least 20 years, this figure rose to 4 per cent. The group which saw the most dramatic results was those who smoked and drank at least one glass of red wine a day. The researchers reported a reduced risk of lung cancer of 60 per cent amongst these men – when compared to other smokers.
Bonnie - I guess if you have to smoke, a glass of red wine would not hurt you.
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