Red Wine vs. Gin: Which is Healthier?

Category: Conditions of the Circulatory System , Diet and Nutrition , Misc.

Researchers at the University of Barcelona, in Barcelona, Spain, administered 30 grams of either red wine or gin daily to 40 healthy men, with a mean age of 37 years old, for 28 days. Blood samples were obtained from the participants after each wine or gin consumption and analyzed for levels of inflammatory markers including lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1), Mac-1, very late activation antigen 4 (VLA-4), monocyte chemoattractant protein (MCP-1), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha), C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) and fibrinogen.

The researchers found that cytokine IL-1alpha (an inflammatory marker) and fibrinogen (a blood clotting marker) were lowered in both the wine and gin groups. Findings also revealed that red wine significantly decreased levels of additional inflammatory markers including LFA-1, Mac-1, VLA-4, MCP-1, CRP, VCAM and ICAM. "Both wine and gin showed anti-inflammatory effects by reducing plasma fibrinogen and IL-1alpha levels," the study authors write. "However, wine had the additional effect of decreasing hs-CRP, as well as monocyte and endothelial adhesion molecules."

Posted by Kristopher Foster on July 4, 2013 11:00 AM