NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many studies have suggested wine drinkers enjoy better health, but there is new evidence that the credit should go to the aficionado's overall lifestyle rather than the wine itself.

Modest drinking of any type of alcohol has been linked to better health, particularly cardiovascular health, and wine has stood out as especially beneficial. Some researchers speculate that certain properties of wine, such as its antioxidant content, may give the beverage an added benefit above and beyond the alcohol content. However, studies have also suggested that wine drinkers may just have healthier lifestyles overall.

Now a new study, of more than 4,400 US men and women, finds that those whose called wine their beverage of choice had more healthful diets and were less likely to smoke than either those who favored beer or spirits, or drinkers with no preference.

In addition, drinkers in general exercised more and ate more vegetables than abstainers did, according to findings published in the August issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

"The apparent health benefits of wine compared with other alcoholic beverages...may be a result of confounding by dietary habits and other lifestyle factors," conclude the study authors, led by John C. Barefoot, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.

Because certain healthy habits were also more common among drinkers overall, it's possible that lifestyle may account for the higher rates of serious illness and death that some studies have found for non-drinkers, according to Barefoot's team.

However, they point out, the most marked differences in diet and smoking in this study were between wine drinkers and other drinkers.

The findings are based on data collected from middle-aged alumni from the University of North Carolina and their spouses. As a group, participants were highly educated and had similar incomes.

The researchers found that, compared with other drinkers, wine fans generally ate more fiber and less saturated fat and cholesterol, and drank less alcohol. Both male and female wine drinkers were less likely to smoke than those who favored other types of alcohol.

These findings, the researchers conclude, highlight the "myriad" lifestyle factors that could help explain the link between moderate drinking and better health, as well as the extra benefits that have been attributed to wine.

Last year, an American Heart Association panel urged doctors to downplay the potential heart-healthy effects of wine and instead encourage patients to eat more fruits and vegetables and get more exercise.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;76:466-472.

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