| Subject: Red Wine May Help Reduce Damage from Smoking |
Author:
Betty
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Date Posted: 12:05:46 03/10/04 Wed
In reply to:
Betty
's message, "London: the blame game" on 11:54:41 03/10/04 Wed
Sipping a glass of red wine while having a cigarette may help ease the damaging effects of smoke on blood vessels, according to a study published in the February issue of the American Heart Journal.
Unfortunately NY state, & the U.S. have banned smoking in all places that serve wine (bars & restaurants), a trend the world is trying to follow. (I don't like cigarettes or smoke where I eat, but in bars? Give me a break!)
While the researchers are not suggesting yet that drinking is a good way to counter a serious smoking habit, the results from the early research add to the medical community's knowledge of how moderate wine consumption may contribute to improved cardiovascular health.
The research, conducted at the Alexandra University Hospital in Athens, Greece, found that both red wine and non-alcoholic red wine helped alleviate the inflammation of endothelial cells -- which line the blood vessels and heart cavity and regulate blood flow -- caused by inhaling cigarette smoke.
"Smoking caused a significant impairment in endothelial function," wrote the study authors. "Simultaneous consumption of red wine or [non-alcoholic] red wine with smoking decreased smoke's harmful effect."
Previous research has shown that cigarette smoke contains free radicals, or damaging oxygen molecules, that may cause oxidative stress to the blood vessels, causing them to constrict and needlessly slow blood flow. In these studies, the inflammation of the blood vessels was eased by the use of antioxidant supplements containing vitamins C and E.
Because other studies have documented red wine's high level of antioxidants (compounds that mop up free radicals), the scientists in Athens theorized that wine may perform a function similar to that of the vitamins, whether or not it contains alcohol. Furthermore, recent research has indicated that the polyphenols in red wine can help alleviate certain lung diseases that may be caused by smoking.
The Athens researchers worked with 16 healthy, nonsmoking subjects -- eight male and eight female -- and used ultrasound to measure how "open" each person's right brachial artery was. Volunteers had no family history of diabetes, had normal blood pressure, were of average weight, were light to moderate drinkers, and took no medication or dietary supplements. Their ages ranged from 23 to 35 years old.
The scientists began by feeding the volunteers a single slice of white bread and a couple of scoops of cottage cheese. Then the subjects, who had never had a cigarette, were asked to puff on a Marlboro with 12 mg of tar and 0.9 mg of nicotine. They were instructed to inhale and were watched at all times.
After finishing the cigarette, which took no more than 15 minutes, the artery's dilation was again measured by ultrasound. From just one cigarette, the vessel was about two-thirds "tighter" than normal.
After 30 minutes, the artery relaxed a bit. Measurements were taken every 15 minutes, until 90 minutes had passed -- by which time the vessel's size had returned to the same diameter as before the cigarette.
The experiment was repeated on two following days, with some key differences. On one day, after the meal, the volunteers enjoyed a 250 ml glass (one-third of a bottle) of a Greek red wine containing 12 percent alcohol by volume, while they smoked one cigarette. On the other day, the volunteers drank the same wine, but with the alcohol removed in a lab, using a process, the study claims, that did not change its appearance or taste.
On both these occasions, when the artery was measured, the constriction was considerably less than in the first trial. After 15 minutes, the vessel was only about one-sixth to one-fifth tighter than normal and returned to normal size within 60 minutes, whether or not the wine contained alcohol. According to the authors, this constriction is not significantly different than normal, healthy blood vessels.
But lead author Papamicheal Christos warned that the results may not have the same effect on those who smoke habitually. He said red wine's antioxidant effect "theoretically would be helpful in current or ex-smokers." However, he added, "We do not know the effect against smoking 20 to 40 cigarettes per day." Larger trials would be needed, he said, to determine the extent of wine's beneficial effect in smokers.
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