A glass of red wine might pair well with dinner, but it’s not the cancer-fighting elixir some have claimed. A new study from Brown University’s School of Public Health, released in January, has upended the long-held belief that red wine offers better protection against cancer compared to white wine. The research reveals that when it comes to overall cancer risk, the two types of wine are on equal footing—though gender differences and specific cancer types tell a more nuanced story.
For years, red wine has been celebrated for its supposed health benefits, largely due to resveratrol, a compound found in red grape skins that’s touted for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and even anti-cancer properties. Some have linked moderate red wine consumption to better heart health, anti-aging effects, and improved cognitive function in older age, as noted in a study from the Journal of Prevention of Alzheimer’s Disease, which found weekly alcohol consumers had better cognitive outcomes than abstainers. But when it comes to cancer, the Brown University team found no evidence to support red wine’s protective reputation.
The study, led by researchers Rachel Lim, Jongeun Rhee, Megan Hoang, Abrar Qureshi, and Eunyoung Cho, aimed to cut through the conflicting noise surrounding wine and cancer risk. “To address this research gap, especially given the vast and often contradictory literature on the carcinogenicity of red and white wine separately, we conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the association between red versus white wine consumption and the risk of all and site-specific cancers,” the team explained. They combed through PubMed and Embase databases up to December 2023, analyzing 252 articles, with 42 studies and 22 case studies deemed relevant, while also accounting for potential publication biases.
Their findings? “We did not observe that red wine consumption is associated with a reduced risk of cancer in our meta-analysis,” the researchers stated. Overall, the difference in cancer risk between red and white wine was negligible—except in one key area: skin cancer. The study found a 22 percent higher risk of skin cancer associated with long-term white wine consumption. The team suggested this could be due to alcohol’s metabolites promoting skin carcinogenicity, but they also pointed to lifestyle factors, noting that wine drinking is more common among Caucasians, who are already more prone to skin cancer, and may correlate with behaviors like indoor tanning or inadequate sunscreen use.
A gender gap also emerged. Women who drank an additional glass of white wine per day faced a five percent increase in overall cancer risk, a finding the researchers flagged for further investigation. This aligns with broader concerns about alcohol’s impact on women, who metabolize alcohol differently due to lower body water content, leading to prolonged exposure to alcohol’s harmful effects.
Alcohol has been classified as a Group 1 carcinogen since 2010 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, with links to cancers of the breast, liver, esophagus, and more. The Brown study reinforces a sobering public health message: “Drinking red wine may not be any better than drinking white wine in terms of cancer risk.” So, while that glass of red might still complement your meal, it’s not the health shield many hoped it would be.