Red wine used to be touted as a health food. If you didn’t drink, experts thought adding a glass …[+] would improve your health. Yet the science has changed because the original research in the 1990s supporting red wine’s benefits was flawed. Despite that, many still thinking red wine is healthy.

For years scientists and doctors considered red wine a health food. Research of the day linked moderate alcohol consumption—defined as one drink or less a day in women and two or less in men—to 30-40% fewer heart disease deaths in drinkers v. non-drinkers.

Red wine became a health food because it not only contained alcohol but also the health-enhancing antioxidants of grape skins. One powerful antioxidant is resveratrol which repairs damaged blood vessels, prevents clots, and reduces inflammation. This led to experts to recommend red wine in modest amounts to boost health. Wine sales have grown tremendously since the 1990s.

Now we know differently. Moderate drinkers do die later but not because they drink alcohol. It’s because they are healthier to begin with. They are more active, richer, have better diets, and better education. The early research studies misled us to wrongly believe moderate consumption was healthy. Here are four reasons you shouldn’t think of red wine as a health food, even if you sip less than a glass a day.

1. Moderate Alcohol Consumption Is Linked To Poorer, Not Better, Cardiovascular Health

A 2022 study in JAMA Network Open examined 371,463 people in the UK and found moderate drinking was associated with a 1.3 times higher risk of high blood pressure and 1.4 times higher risk of coronary artery disease. The study was cleverly designed. It accounted for a person’s genetic predisposition to alcohol use which helps get around some limitations of earlier studies.

2. Alcohol Use Increases Cancer Risk Even With Moderate Drinking

Alcohol is a known human carcinogen, according to the National Toxicology Program in the Department of Health and Human Services. Alcohol accounts for 6% of all cancers and 4% of cancer deaths, amounting to 75,000 yearly cancer cases and 19,000 deaths in US. It causes cancer for many reasons. For example, it increases oxidative stress and the metabolic products from alcohol—namely, acetaldehyde—damage liver DNA. It also directly injures your mouth and throat cells’ DNA. It substantially increases breast cancer risk even in moderate drinkers. Women who drink three alcoholic drinks a week have a 15% higher breast cancer risk than those who don’t drink at all.

Sleep Quality Is Worsened By Alcohol

Alcohol can act as a sedative causing one to fall asleep more quickly. However, it has been found to detrimentally affect the quality of sleep. The impact of drinking alcohol on sleep quality becomes more obvious even after small quantities. A study carried out on 4,098 Finnish people, revealed a rise in stress responses and impairment in sleep recovery measures in the first three hours of sleep due to alcohol consumption. According to their measurements, the quality of sleep, referred to as the HRV-derived physiological recovery state, deteriorated by 9.3% upon drinking a small amount of alcohol. This increased to 24% for a moderate amount and soared as high as 39.2% for a large amount. In addition to worsening hangovers, insufficient sleep also leads to decreased alertness on the following day.

It Would Require A Deadly Amount Of Red Wine To Benefit From Its Antioxidants

Resveratrol is found in red wine but its quantity is not enough to engender any significant health benefits. A study, measuring absorption of resveratrol in the body through a cup of alcohol, along with two other polyphenols (catechin and quercetin) known for their health benefits, concludes that the blood concentrations for these elements is far too low to be effective. Consequently, to reach a beneficially high level, one would have to drink gallons of wine, a lethal amount.

Here’s the crucial understanding: the understanding of red wine’s benefits has progressed. Indeed, it brings about a pleasant feeling. But, it’s no longer considered a health boon. If you don’t drink, there’s no need to start. If you do indulge in red wine, perhaps think about consuming less than a glass per day. It’s evident that the more alcohol you consume – including red wine – the greater you elevate your risk for health complications.