Moderate wine consumption measured using the biomarker urinary tartaric acid concentration decreases inflammatory mediators related to atherosclerosis

Several studies suggest that moderate wine consumption, particularly red wine, may have benefits for cardiovascular health. Red wine contains a variety of bioactive compounds, including polyphenols like phenolic acids, which have demonstrated anti-inflammatory effects in experimental models. A study assessed the anti-inflammatory properties of wine, measured as urinary tartaric acid, a new biomarker of wine consumption.
The one-year longitudinal study included 217 participants from the PREDIMED trial. Plasma inflammatory biomarkers and urinary tartaric acid were analysed using xMAP technology and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. The relationship between variations over 1-year in urinary tartaric acid concentrations and 1-year changes in serum inflammatory molecules, including adhesion cell molecules, interleukine-6, tumour necrosis factor alpha, and monocyte chemotactic protein 1 were assessed. Three categories were built according to tertiles of 1-y changes in urinary tartaric acid.
Urinary tartaric acid was corroborated as a reliable biomarker of wine consumption. In the continuous analysis, participants with higher increases in tartaric acid significantly reduced their concentrations in soluble vascular adhesion molecule (sVCAM-1) after 1-year of follow-up. Moreover, tertiles 2 and 3 of 1-year changes in tartaric acid presented a significant reduction in soluble intercellular cell adhesion molecule (sICAM-1) as compared to tertile 1. Participants in the third tertile also exhibited a reduced concentration of sVCAM-1 compared to those in the first tertile.
The researchers comment that their findings suggest that wine consumption is associated with lower levels of inflammation due to the anti-inflammatory properties of wine compounds.
Source: Domínguez López I, Arancibia-Riveros C, Casas R, Galkina P, Pérez M, Martínez-González MÁ, Fitó M, Ros E, Estruch R, Lamuela-Raventós RM. Moderate wine consumption measured using the biomarker urinary tartaric acid concentration decreases inflammatory mediators related to atherosclerosis. J Nutr Health Aging. 2024 Feb;28(2):100003.