Wine drinkers catch fewer colds
in Spain finds that those who have even a moderate wine consumption
are less likely to catch a cold. Red wine is particularly effective
in lowering the risks.
Wine drinkers are less likely to catch a cold, finds a new study carried out by Spanish researchers.
To examine whether consumption of wine, beer, spirits, and total alcohol were associated with the risk of catching a common cold, the authors analysed data from a cohort study carried out on a population of 4,272 faculty and staff of five Spanish universities during 1998-1999.
The usual alcohol intake was assessed using a standardised frequency questionnaire that was validated in a random sample of the population.
The authors detected 1,353 cases of common cold. Their results showed that while total alcohol intake, and beer and spirits consumption were not related to the occurrence of the common cold, consumption of wine was inversely associated with the risk of catching a cold.
When drinkers of more than14 glasses of wine per week were compared with teetotalers, the relative risk was 0.6, or a 40 per cent reduction in colds compared with those who drank no alcohol. The association was significantly stronger for red wine.
The results remained unaltered after adjustment for total alcohol intake and for other potential risk factors for common cold, reported Dr. Miguel Hernan and colleagues at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Massachusetts from the University of Santiago de Compostela and the University Hospital of the Canary Islands.
The team also accounted for other risk factors for catching a cold, including exposure to children, smoking status, allergies and other diseases.
The authors concluded : "Findings suggest that wine intake, especially red wine, may have a protective effect against common cold. Beer, spirits, and total alcohol intakes do not seem to affect the incidence of common cold."
The study is published in the recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
