Scientists from Saarland University found drinking red wine may prevent vascular injury in people who smoke cigarettes.
The research is published in The American Journal of Medicine and was conducted by Viktoria Schwarz et al.
Red wine is rich in plant compounds that are presented in red grape skins, such as tannins and resveratrol.
Previous research has found that moderate drinking of red wine is linked to fewer heart disease events.
In the study, the team examined whether drinking red wine counteracts the harmful effect of cigarette smoking on vascular health.
Participants smoked 3 cigarettes alone or after drinking a titrated volume of red wine.
The team found that only after smoking, participants have a higher white blood cell count and their telomerase activity was inhibited.
High white blood cell count is a normal immune response and isn’t always a cause for concern. Most of the time, it means that your body is fighting off infection or inflammation.
Telomerase activity is essential for maintaining telomere length throughout the cellular lifespan. The modulation of telomerase activity has important implications for anti-aging and anti-cancer.
The team also found that blood vessel damage, inflammation and cellular aging were completely reduced by red wine drinking.
They say that cigarette smoking results in blood vessel injury, vascular inflammation, and cellular aging in otherwise healthy non-smokers.
On the other hand, drinking red wine could help prevent these harmful effects.
The findings underscore the damage caused by cigarette smoking and show the potential of red wine as a protective strategy to reduce markers of vascular injury.
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