“Red wine is good for your heart”

## The Evidence Against The GBD 2020 study in *The Lancet* (Griswold et al.) analysed data from 195 countries and 28 million people and found that "the safest level of drinking is none." All-cause risk increased with any amount of alcohol. Earlier studies showing J-curves for cardiovascular disease failed to account for "sick quitter" bias (former heavy drinkers appearing in the abstainer group). Mendelian randomisation studies — which use genetic variants affecting alcohol metabolism as natural experiments, bypassing confounding — consistently show no cardiovascular benefit from alcohol (Holmes et al., *BMJ*, 2014). ## What About Resveratrol? The resveratrol hypothesis (polyphenols in red wine are cardioprotective) has largely collapsed. The doses of resveratrol in a glass of wine are several orders of magnitude below the doses used in animal studies. Resveratrol clinical trials in humans have been largely disappointing. ## The Bottom Line If you enjoy red wine, the health risk at 1–2 glasses/day is modest. But claiming health benefits is not supported by high-quality evidence.