Drink to fight the Covid

OPINION: The current pandemic has generated so many messages of sadness and doom that it is a pleasure to discover a ray of light in the darkness. The Drinks Business reports that drinking wine could reduce the risk of Covid infection.

An extensive study of the medical records of 473,957 people tracked alcohol consumption and Covid infection during the pandemic. While noting that “the adverse effects of alcohol consumption have been widely documented, the observed relationships between alcohol consumption and disease are often non-linear, with low to moderate alcohol consumption being protective and heavy drinking of alcohol being harmful”. The study found that compared to non-drinkers, the risk of Covid-19 was 10-17% lower among red wine drinkers and 7-8% lower among white wine and champagne drinkers.

Beer and cider drinkers, on the other hand, had a 28% increased risk of Covid infection.

The beneficial effect could come from polyphenols, which are higher in red wine than in white wine. “Red wine offers additional benefits over other alcoholic beverages, likely due to its higher polyphenol content, lowering blood pressure, inhibiting oxidation of low-density lipoprotein particles, and other favorable effects on the body. cell redox state, by improving endothelial function, inhibiting platelet aggregation, reducing inflammation and cell adhesion, and activating proteins that prevent cell death,” the study notes.

Most of us will have a hard time understanding this scientific explanation. However, the bottom line seems to be that wine drinkers, especially red wine drinkers, can get some protection from Covid. They must of course meet the recommended drinking guidelines of two standard drinks per day for women and no more than 10 standard drinks per week, and three standard drinks per day for men and no more than 15. standard drinks per week.