Drinking red wine could protect against lung cancer, but white wine may increase the risk, Spanish scientists said.

They examined the effects of different types of wine on lung cancer, the most common and deadly form of the disease.

"Consumption of red wine ... was associated with a slight but statistically significant reduction in the development of lung cancer," Professor Juan Barros-Dios, of the University of Santiago de Compostela, said in a study in the journal Thorax.

Red wine contains tannins and resveratrol, substances which he said could explain the drink's anti-cancer properties.

Tannins act as antioxidants, which mop up free radicals -- particles harmful to cells. Resveratrol is known to fight cancer tumour growth.

"We have known for a while that drinking a little red wine can protect against a number of conditions, from the common cold to coronary heart disease. This new research suggests that red wine, in moderation, could also protect against lung cancer, said Professor Andrew Peacock of the British Thoracic Society

The scientists could find no explanation why white wine appeared to increase lung cancer risk.

"We really don't know how to explain this result. Maybe it highlights the difference in red and white wine composition," Dr Alberto Ruano-Ravina, who worked on the research, explained in a telephone interview.

But the scientists emphasized the risk was very slight and only 39 white wine drinkers were studied.

Barros-Dios was careful not to encourage binge drinking to combat the disease, which the latest World Health Organization figures show killed 1.2 million people in 2000.

"It would be extremely risky -- and even dangerous -- for recommendations to be drawn up endorsing high consumption of red wine for the prevention of lung cancer," he said in the study.

The researchers stressed the aim of the study was to investigate red wine's anti-cancer components, not to determine how much wine would ward off cancer.

"We do not recommend drinking if you want to prevent lung cancer," Ruano-Ravina said, adding that smokers should quit.

The effects of wine drinking were studied in 132 people with lung cancer and 187 people who were in hospital for non-tobacco related minor surgery in the northwestern Santiago de Compostela district of Spain.

Reference Source 89
October 28, 2004

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