In the 1980s, scientists in France coined the phrase ‘French Paradox’ to refer to the notion that drinking red wine might explain the relatively low rates of heart disease among their countrymen despite the national fondness for cheese, and other rich foods.
This theory helped propel the discovery of a host of beneficial plant compounds known as polyphenols in red and purple grape skins. The compounds theoretically explain wine’s heart-protecting properties. It was followed up by a larger body of evidence in the 1990s linking alcohol to good health.
One 1997 study found that those who reported having at least one alcoholic drink per day were 30 to 40% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t drink.
However, researchers were pointing out problems in studies like these from the 1980s, questioning if alcohol was responsible for the reported health benefits. They argued that moderate drinkers were healthier than non-drinkers because they were more likely to be educated, wealthy, physically active, and more likely to have health insurance and eat more vegetables. And so the debate began.
Some of the polyphenols found in red wine can have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. However, no studies, including decades of research on one polyphenol called resveratrol, have definitively linked the amounts you find in red wine to good health.
In January 2023, the World Health Organisation issued a statement which didn’t hold its punches: “When it comes to alcohol consumption, there is no safe amount that does not affect health.”
The WHO statement added that all alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including bowel cancer and breast cancer in women.
It doesn’t matter how much you drink – the risk to the drinker’s health starts from the first drop of any alcoholic beverage.
“The only thing that we can say for sure is that the more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is,” said Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, the WHO’s regional advisor for alcohol and illicit drugs in Europe.
The Irish Heart Foundation has been working to dispel the notion that drinking moderate amounts of red wine can decrease the risk of heart disease.
“Alcohol consumption is considered one of the five core risk factors which contribute to cardiovascular disease alongside smoking, physical inactivity, poor diet and obesity,” says director of health promotion at the IHF, Janis Morrissey. “No amount of alcohol is protective against cardiovascular disease.”
Kevin O’Hagan, cancer prevention manager at the Irish Cancer Society, believes more education is needed. He says new plans for labelling alcohol might also help dispel the so-called health halo surrounding red wine.
“All wine, no matter the colour, carries the same risk factor as any other alcohol when it comes to increasing the risk of cancer.
“From 2026, Ireland is to introduce health labels on alcoholic products warning of the risks of cancer. Significant measures like these will be an important intervention to increase public awareness of the links between alcohol and cancer.”
‘The more you drink, the more harmful it is – or, in other words, the less you drink, the safer it is’
Of course, some understand the health risks but drink moderately. We can’t ignore the value of pleasure in daily life. A pleasure-agnostic approach to health advice would mean we’d never binge-watch our favourite programmes on Netflix, stay out late, or order dessert.
Award-winning wine journalist Jean Smullen says there’s also the matter of culture.
“The French and Irish wine-drinking cultures seem to incorporate alcohol in different ways,” she says.
“There wasn’t a huge amount of wine available on the Irish market until the 1990s, for example, and then suddenly, wine became a commodity. Supermarkets started to stock it, people were travelling more, and they came into contact with cultures where wine was part of everyday life. There was a sophistication associated with wine that continues today.
“The reality of the market, as it stands here, is that the vast majority of those drinking wine is the baby boom generation. Red wine is still very strong in this market, especially among men.”
The latest figures from Drinks Ireland on wine sales show that red wine now accounts for a 45% market share, compared to 48% for white wine.
As the ‘red wine is good for you’ narrative has eroded, new avenues have opened up across the industry.
Smullen says the latest zeitgeist in the wine world now involves the low- and no-alcohol category.
“For Generation Z, it’s all about low and no. The quality of alcohol-free or low wines isn’t great, but it is improving… People are far more health conscious than ever before.”
