Health Research

October 7, 2008

Study: Red Wine Consumption May Reduce Lung Cancer Risk

Moderate consumption of red wine may decrease the risk of lung cancer in men, according to a study in the October issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention¸ a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

"An antioxidant component in red wine may be protective of lung cancer, particularly among smokers," said Chun Chao, Ph.D., a research scientist at Kaiser Permanente
Department of Research and Evaluation in Pasadena, Calif.

Chao analyzed data collected through the California Men's Health Study, which linked clinical data from California’s health system with self-reported data from 84,170 men aged 45 to 69 years. Researchers obtained demographics and lifestyle data from surveys computed between 2000 and 2003, and identified 210 cases of lung cancer.

Chao said their findings should not be construed to recommend heavy alcohol consumption.

For more information, read the press release on the American Association for Cancer Research's Web site.