Moderate wine consumption, defined by the Mediterranean Diet, is associated with delayed biological aging in men from the Moli-sani Study

A study published in the International Journal of Public Health investigated the association between wine consumption and biological aging in the Moli-sani Study.
Dietary data were assessed for 22,495 participants, using a 188-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ). Participants were classified as abstainers, former drinkers, moderate drinkers according to national guidelines (≤250 mL/day men; ≤125 mL/day women) or Mediterranean Diet (MD) (125–500 mL/day men; 62.5–250 mL/day women), and heavy drinkers (>500 mL/day men; >250 mL/day women). Biological age (BA) was estimated with a deep neural network using 36 circulating biomarkers, and Δage (BA–chronological age) served as an index of biological aging. In men, wine consumption, at doses defined as moderate by a current MD score, was associated with slower biological ageing (Δage β = −0.39; 95% CI: −0.78, −0.01 vs. abstainers). Dose–response analyses revealed a J-shaped curve, with the slowest Δage at approximately 170 mL/day (Δage = −0.34 years; 95% CI: −0.66, −0.03).
Overall ethanol intake, including all alcoholic beverages consumed, was neutral at moderate levels and associated with faster biological ageing at higher doses. Moderate wine consumption, but not overall ethanol intake, may contribute to slower biological ageing in men.
Source: Esposito, S., Di Castelnuovo, A., Costanzo, S., Gialluisi, A., Pepe, A., Ruggiero, E., De Curtis, A. et al. (2026). Moderate wine consumption, defined by the Mediterranean Diet, is associated with delayed biological aging in men from the Moli-sani Study. Int. J. Public Health, 71, 1609410.