Red wine may benefit smokers

Moderate red wine consumption could help protect male smokers against lung cancer, researchers reported last night.

US researchers found a 60 per cent reduced lung cancer risk in smokers who drank one to two glasses of red wine per day.

Research scientist Chun Chao, from California’s Kaiser Permanente Department of Research and Evaluation said an antioxidant component in red wine may be protective of lung cancer.

"There is a compound called resveratrol that is very rich in red wine because it is derived from the grape skin," he said.

"This compound has shown significant health benefits in preclinical studies."

Researchers analysed data collected through the California Men’s Health Study, which linked clinical data with self-reported data from 84,170 men aged 45 to 69 years.

No clear associations with lung cancer were noted for consumption of white wine, beer or liquor, according to the report in the journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention.

Chao said the findings should not be construed to recommend heavy alchohol consumption.

Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, October, 2008

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