Covid risk

Researchers in China have examined how different types of alcohol appear to affect infection rates.

Could a glass of pinot noir with dinner reduce your risk of contracting Covid-19? According to a recent study, based on the medical records of almost half a million UK residents, those who drink a glass or two of red wine each day may be reducing their chance of contracting Covid by 10% to 17%.

I’m no Rod Jackson, and don’t know much about sailing, either. The World Health Organisation stated in May 2020: “FACT: Drinking alcohol DOES NOT protect you against Covid-19 and can be dangerous.”

But the study, “Covid-19 Risk Appears to Vary Across Different Alcoholic Beverages”, is still interesting. Written by six researchers based mainly at China’s Shenzhen Medical Health Centre, it was published in Frontiers in Nutrition ( January 3, 2022).

The team’s goal was “to evaluate the associations of status, amount, and frequency of alcohol consumption across different alcoholic beverages with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid

19) risk and associated mortality”.

Wine drinkers in the study were classified into three groups: those who usually consume fewer than seven glasses a week; those who usually consume seven to 13 glasses a week; and those who usually consume 14 or more glasses a week.

The study found that the Covid-19 risk “appears to vary across different alcoholic beverage subtypes, frequency and amount”. Consuming beer or cider “increased the Covid-19 risk, regardless of the frequency and amount of alcohol intake”. However, “red wine, white wine and champagne [read: sparkling wine] have chances to reduce the risk of Covid-19”.

For white wine and champagne drinkers, the risk was 7-8% lower than for non-drinkers. However, “the protective effect was not significant when the amount of white wine and champagne was above five glasses a week”.

By contrast, the risk was 10-17% lower for red wine drinkers, compared with non-drinkers, regardless of the amount consumed. But the protective effect really kicked in for those who usually drank at least seven glasses a week.

It goes without saying that heavy alcohol consumption is known to be harmful. The study was based on correlating data, rather than causation, so factors other than wine may have swayed the results. Red wine drinkers may have better nutrition, be more inclined to exercise, avoid indoor parties, be vaccinated and wear masks.

It is also worth noting that older people were over-represented in the study, which only looked at long-term habits, so it is not known whether its findings are relevant for younger people, and Asian people. The researchers suggest, however, that compounds that set red wines apart, known as polyphenols, could help explain the results. ▮