March 5, 2009
Wine May Lower the Risk of a Rare Esophageal Cancer
By RONI CARYN RABIN
While millions of Americans suffer from heartburn and gastric reflux, only a small number develop more severe ailments that can lead to esophageal cancer. Scientists trying to understand what may protect against these conditions have identified an unlikely agent: wine.
Two studies published this month in the journal Gastroenterology suggest that people who drink wine, white or red, in moderation are less likely to develop conditions that may lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an uncommon cancer that has increased sharply in the United States over the past 30 years.
The reports are particularly surprising because alcohol intake is a well-established risk factor for the other main form of esophageal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. Researchers noted the studies were preliminary.
In one study, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., found that drinking a glass of wine a day was associated with a more than 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing Barrett?s esophagus, though there was no reduction in risk among adults who drank liquor or beer. Barrett?s esophagus, an erosion of the esophageal lining that can be caused by chronic heartburn or acid reflux, increases the odds of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma 30-fold to 40-fold.
In the second study, researchers at Queen?s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, reported that compared with patients who drank no wine, those drinking one glass of wine or more a month saw a drop of more than 50 percent in the risk of reflux esophagitis, an irritation often caused by chronic heartburn.
The two studies? findings are consistent with those from an Australian report in Gastroenterology in December. That study found that drinking wine in moderation was linked to lower risks for both forms of the cancer.
?There is a lot of warranted skepticism about nutritional studies ? one shows one thing, and one shows something else,? said Dr. Douglas Corley, a gastroenterologist and senior author of the Kaiser Permanente study. ?But these are the first few studies that have looked at this, and they all find the same thing in three different populations in three different countries.?
But people who drink wine tend to come from higher income brackets and to be more educated than those who drink beer and liquor, experts said, and it is hard to know whether it is the wine or some other aspect of their lifestyle that protects their health.
?This is an exploratory study,? said Dr. Liam J. Murray, a senior author of the Irish study and a professor of cancer epidemiology at Queen?s University Belfast, ?and my view is that further work needs to be done before we put too much weight on it.?
Wine May Lower the Risk of a Rare Esophageal Cancer
By RONI CARYN RABIN
While millions of Americans suffer from heartburn and gastric reflux, only a small number develop more severe ailments that can lead to esophageal cancer. Scientists trying to understand what may protect against these conditions have identified an unlikely agent: wine.
Two studies published this month in the journal Gastroenterology suggest that people who drink wine, white or red, in moderation are less likely to develop conditions that may lead to esophageal adenocarcinoma, an uncommon cancer that has increased sharply in the United States over the past 30 years.
The reports are particularly surprising because alcohol intake is a well-established risk factor for the other main form of esophageal cancer, squamous cell carcinoma. Researchers noted the studies were preliminary.
In one study, researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., found that drinking a glass of wine a day was associated with a more than 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing Barrett?s esophagus, though there was no reduction in risk among adults who drank liquor or beer. Barrett?s esophagus, an erosion of the esophageal lining that can be caused by chronic heartburn or acid reflux, increases the odds of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma 30-fold to 40-fold.
In the second study, researchers at Queen?s University Belfast, in Northern Ireland, reported that compared with patients who drank no wine, those drinking one glass of wine or more a month saw a drop of more than 50 percent in the risk of reflux esophagitis, an irritation often caused by chronic heartburn.
The two studies? findings are consistent with those from an Australian report in Gastroenterology in December. That study found that drinking wine in moderation was linked to lower risks for both forms of the cancer.
?There is a lot of warranted skepticism about nutritional studies ? one shows one thing, and one shows something else,? said Dr. Douglas Corley, a gastroenterologist and senior author of the Kaiser Permanente study. ?But these are the first few studies that have looked at this, and they all find the same thing in three different populations in three different countries.?
But people who drink wine tend to come from higher income brackets and to be more educated than those who drink beer and liquor, experts said, and it is hard to know whether it is the wine or some other aspect of their lifestyle that protects their health.
?This is an exploratory study,? said Dr. Liam J. Murray, a senior author of the Irish study and a professor of cancer epidemiology at Queen?s University Belfast, ?and my view is that further work needs to be done before we put too much weight on it.?