Is Red Wine Actually Healthier Than White?

Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or a casual drinker, you’ve likely heard the claim that red wine is healthier than white wine. However, a new study found that this may not be the case.

Red wine is known to be high in the antioxidant resveratrol, which contains anti-inflammatory properties. Because of this, many experts have touted red wine as the healthier option.

A recent study published in the journal Nutrients sought to challenge this belief by conducting a meta-analysis of 42 observational studies. Ultimately, the researchers “found no differences in the association between red or white wine consumption and overall cancer risk, challenging the common belief that red wine is healthier than white wine.”

However, there were some caveats to these findings. For one, the researchers found that “white wine had a significantly stronger association with cancer when the analysis was restricted to cohort studies.”

Namely, “White wine intake was significantly associated with an increased risk of cancer among women,” they said.

Additionally, white wine intake was linked to a higher risk of skin cancer, which was not the case with red wine.

“It has been hypothesized that alcohol consumption can promote skin carcinogenicity through the intermediate byproducts or metabolites of alcohol, such as acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species, that have photosensitizing effects,” the researchers explained. “Also, drinking wine may be more common among whites who are more susceptible to skin cancer than other racial groups.”

It’s not exactly clear why white wine, in particular, seems to pose a higher risk. Nevertheless, red wine doesn’t seem to be as healthy as many previously believed.

“To our knowledge, we conducted the first meta-analysis and the largest investigation of red versus white wine consumption and cancer risk and found no difference between the two types of wine,” the researchers wrote. “Our findings provided a critical public health message that drinking red wine may not be any better than drinking white wine in terms of cancer risk.”