Association Between Wine Consumption and Cognitive Decline in Older People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Longitudinal Studies

Non-Alcoholic Wines: Sensory Pleasantness and Health Benefits

Non-alcoholic wine is becoming popular as a healthier alternative to traditional wine, offering potential health benefits without the risks of alcohol consumption. Sensory attributes, such as taste and aroma, significantly influence consumer preferences, with sweet, sour, and balanced fragrances favored over bitter or medicinal notes. A lower alcohol content can enhance the complexity of sensory properties, suggesting that non-alcoholic wines provide an appealing experience. Moderate consumption, particularly of red wine, has been linked to reduced cardiovascular mortality, attributed to phenolic compounds like resveratrol and quercetin present in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic wines. These bioactive components are associated with reduced risks of chronic diseases by modulating biochemical pathways and gene expression. Health-conscious consumers are increasingly taking these benefits into account in their purchasing decisions. Non-alcoholic wines may appeal to individuals seeking health benefits without the presence of alcohol. While some evidence supports the health advantages of wine, most research is observational, and the specific benefits of non-alcoholic options need further investigation. Challenges include isolating the effects of wine's bioactive compounds from other factors and creating appealing non-alcoholic wines through innovative fermentation techniques, such as using non-Saccharomyces yeast strains. Overall, non-alcoholic wine holds promise for those seeking sensory and health benefits without alcohol, highlighting the need for ongoing research and innovation in production methods to enhance its appeal and validate its benefits. Based on recent findings, this review will examine the sensory qualities and health benefits of non-alcoholic wine.

Differences in Associations of Three Types of Alcoholic Beverages with Age-Related Cognitive Decline in Men

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the influence of wine, beer, and spirits consumption, respectively, on non-pathological, age-related cognitive decline from young adulthood to late midlife in a large follow-up study of Danish men.

METHODS

The study includes 2456 middle-aged Danish men from the Lifestyle and Cognition Follow-up study 2015, with information on adult-life consumption (from age 26) of wine, beer, and spirits self-reported in late midlife and age-related cognitive decline assessed using the same validated intelligence test administered in young adulthood and late midlife. Associations were adjusted for consumption of other alcoholic beverages, year of birth, age at follow-up, retest interval, education, young adulthood intelligence, and personality.

RESULTS

Most of the men had wine (48%) or beer (42%) as their preferred beverage type. For all three alcoholic beverages, consumption of more than 14 units weekly was associated with a greater decline in unadjusted analyses, but this trend was only significant for wine. In contrast, adjusted models showed that moderate wine and spirits consumption was associated with less decline than abstention for these alcohol types (p = 0.03 for 8-14 units/week of wine and p = 0.03 for 1-7 units/week of spirits). Statistical tests suggested a difference between the estimated effects of consumption of 8-14 units/week of wine and beer on cognitive decline.

CONCLUSIONS

While patterns of associations were similar across beverages, moderate wine and spirits consumption may mitigate cognitive decline, in contrast with beer. However, the results should be interpreted with caution due to inherent differences between men with different alcoholic beverage preferences.

Combined Effect of Red Wine and Mocha Pot Coffee in Mild Vascular Cognitive Impairment

OBJECTIVES

Moderate daily mocha pot coffee intake has been associated with better mood and cognition in patients with mild vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). Similarly, moderate red wine consumption has shown protective effects on cognitive disorders, including Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia. The aim of this study was to explore the synergistic relation between red wine and coffee intake on mood and cognitive status in mild VCI patients at risk for dementia.

METHODS

A total of 300 non-demented older patients with mild VCI were asked for coffee and red wine consumption and administered with the 17-items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), and the Stroop Color-Word Interference Test (Stroop T), as well as the Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and the Instrumental ADL to measure their mood status, cognitive performance, and functional independence. Linear regression models were used to test the association between variables.

RESULTS

Moderate wine drinkers tended to show the best Stroop T score at any level of coffee consumption; conversely, heavy wine consumers performed worse at the Stroop T, especially in patients reporting high coffee intake. Moderate drinkers of both coffee and wine showed the lowest HDRS scores. Finally, a progressive increase in MMSE score was evident with increasing coffee consumption, which peaks when combined with a moderate wine consumption.

CONCLUSIONS

Daily mocha pot coffee and red wine intake seem to be synergistically associated with global cognition, executive functioning, and mood status in patients with mild VCI; the association was not linear, resulting in a protective direction for moderate intake and detrimental for heavy consumption. Future studies are needed to further corroborate the present findings and the potential long-term protective effects of these dietary compounds over time.

Vascular dementia: From pathobiology to emerging perspectives

Vascular dementia (VaD) is the second most common type of dementia. VaD is synonymous with ageing, and its symptoms place a significant burden on the health and wellbeing of older people. Despite the identification of a substantial number of risk factors for VaD, the pathological mechanisms underpinning this disease remain to be fully elucidated. Consequently, a biogerontological imperative exists to highlight the modifiable lifestyle factors which can mitigate against the risk of developing VaD. This review will critically examine some of the factors which have been revealed to modulate VaD risk. The survey commences by providing an overview of the putative mechanisms which are associated with the pathobiology of VaD. Next, the factors which influence the risk of developing VaD are examined. Finally, emerging treatment avenues including epigenetics, the gut microbiome, and pro-longevity pharmaceuticals are discussed. By drawing this key evidence together, it is our hope that it can be used to inform future experimental investigations in this field.

Association between wine consumption and cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Alcohol consumption is related to the risk of developing different types of cancer. However, unlike other alcoholic beverages, moderate wine drinking has demonstrated a protective effect on the risk of developing several types of cancer.

Objective

To analyze the association between wine consumption and the risk of developing cancer.

Methods

We searched the MEDLINE (through PubMed), Scopus, Cochrane, and Web of Science databases to conduct this systematic review and meta-analysis. Pooled relative risks (RRs) were calculated using the DerSimonian and Laird methods. I2 was used to evaluate inconsistency, the τ2 test was used to assess heterogeneity, and The Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale were applied to evaluate the risk of bias. This study was previously registered in PROSPERO, with the registration number CRD42022315864.

Results

Seventy-three studies were included in the systematic review, and 26 were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled RR for the effect of wine consumption on the risk of gynecological cancers was 1.03 (95% CI: 0.99, 1.08), that for colorectal cancer was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.82, 1.03), and that for renal cancer was 0.92 (95% CI: 0.81, 1.04). In general, the heterogeneity was substantial.

Conclusion

The study findings reveal no association between wine consumption and the risk of developing any type of cancer. Moreover, wine drinking demonstrated a protective trend regarding the risk of developing pancreatic, skin, lung, and brain cancer as well as cancer in general.

Systematic review registration

https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42022315864, identifier CRD42022315864 (PROSPERO).

Moderate Wine Consumption and Health: A Narrative Review

Although it is clearly established that the abuse of alcohol is seriously harmful to health, much epidemiological and clinical evidence seem to underline the protective role of moderate quantities of alcohol and in particular of wine on health. This narrative review aims to re-evaluate the relationship between the type and dose of alcoholic drink and reduced or increased risk of various diseases, in the light of the most current scientific evidence. In particular, in vitro studies on the modulation of biochemical pathways and gene expression of wine bioactive components were evaluated. Twenty-four studies were selected after PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar searches for the evaluation of moderate alcohol/wine consumption and health effects: eight studies concerned cardiovascular diseases, three concerned type 2 diabetes, four concerned neurodegenerative diseases, five concerned cancer and four were related to longevity. A brief discussion on viticultural and enological practices potentially affecting the content of bioactive components in wine is included. The analysis clearly indicates that wine differs from other alcoholic beverages and its moderate consumption not only does not increase the risk of chronic degenerative diseases but is also associated with health benefits particularly when included in a Mediterranean diet model. Obviously, every effort must be made to promote behavioral education to prevent abuse, especially among young people.