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"Teetotalers live dangerously" according to nutritionist Dr. Nicolai Worm in his book "Wine Every Day." He bases his premise on the results of 30 international, long-term studies that show that people who completely abstain from drinking alcohol completely have a higher mortality rate than those who consume moderate amounts of alcohol daily.

Wine has a protective effect on the cardiovascular system. Alcohol increases the "beneficial" cholesterol HDL (high density lipoprotein), and lowers the "detrimental" cholesterol LDL (low density lipoprotein), which helps reduce the development of arteriosclerosis. Alcohol also helps reduce the risk of thrombosis by inhibiting the coagulation of blood platelets. At the same time, wine drinkers absorb numerous substances that are healthful, so-called polyphenols. These play a positive role as antioxidants, thereby protecting blood vessels from premature aging and, perhaps, preventing the development of cancers.

International experts agree that a daily intake of up to 24 g of alcohol for a healthy woman and up to 32 g for a healthy man are within recommended levels. In other words, up to 0.3 liters/10 oz daily for a woman and 0.4 liters/13.5 oz for a man, consuming a German wine with about 10% alcohol by volume (= 80 grams/liter of alcohol).

These recomendations do not apply to pregnant women, those who are prone to addiction or those with chronic liver disease. However, healthy people and those at risk of cardiovascular disease can profit from moderate, but regular, wine consumption.

Although earlier studies focused primarily on the healthful effects of red wine, the latest research shows that moderate consumption of white wine is equally beneficial.

For further information on this subject, please contact:

Ursula Fradera, fradera@deutscheweinakademie.de

Dr. Claudia Stein-Hammer, steinhammer@deutscheweinakademie.de