Red wine alleviates atherosclerosis-related inflammatory markers in healthy subjects rather than in high cardiovascular risk subjects

Moderate red wine (RW) consumption is associated with a low risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, few studies have evaluated the effects of RW and white wine (WW) on inflammatory markers related to atherosclerosis in healthy individuals and high-risk subjects for CVD. A study assessed the effect of RW on inflammatory markers in healthy individuals and high-risk subjects for CVD compared with moderate alcohol consumption.
Research databases were searched and twelve studies were included in the meta-analysis. The results demonstrated that red wine significantly decreased circulating intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1, and Sialyl-Lewis X expression on the surface of monocytes in healthy subjects, but not in patients with CVD. Additionally, red wine significantly decreased Sialyl-Lewis X but increased clusters of differentiation 40 (CD40) expressed on the surface of T lymphocytes and significantly decreased C-C chemokine receptor type 2 (CCR2) and very late activation antigen 4 (VLA-4) expressed on the surface of monocytes. Interestingly, subgroup analysis also found that RW significantly decreased circulating interleukin-6 (IL-6) in Spain but not in other countries, and significantly increased αMβ2 (Mac-1) in the group that had an intervention duration of less than 3 weeks.
The moderate consumption of red wine is more effective than white wine in alleviating atherosclerosis-related inflammatory markers in healthy people rather than high-risk subjects for CVD. This needs, however, to be further confirmed by studies with larger sample sizes.
Source: Sheng, Yingkun, Meng, Guibing; Li, Guidong; Wang, Jianfeng. (2024) Red wine alleviates atherosclerosis-related inflammatory markers in healthy subjects rather than in high cardiovascular risk subjects: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Medicine, 103(23):p e38229.