SECRET WEAPON WINE

Put another check in the “wine has health benefits” column. A new Yale study shows that wine drinkers suffering from Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma are much less likely to die or relapse than their counterparts who don’t drink. The findings were presented this April at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. Researchers studied more than 5OO women suffering from cancer of the lymphatic system for eight to twelve years and found that wine definitely had a protective effect. The study found that women who drank the longest had the lowest chances of suffering a relapse or dying within five years of their diagnosis. Of the women who drank roughly three-quarters were alive five years after their diagnosis, compared to two-thirds of those who never imbibed. Thirty percent of wine drinkers relapsed within five years compared to thirty five percent of teetotallers. Wine also seems to have long-term protective benefits. Those who had been drinking for at least 25 years prior to diagnosis were 33% less likely to die within five years, and 26% less likely to develop secondary cancer or relapse. Women who drank more than six glasses of wine a day and had the most common type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma – diffuse large B-cell – are about 6O% less likely to die or relapse within five years. However, the good news belongs exclusively to wine as liquor and beer showed no lymphoma protecting effects. So for most women a few glasses of wine a week are likely to help protect against the cancer, while women with a family history or other risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, such as impaired immune systems, are likely to benefit even more. “But if you have risk factors for breast cancer, you should avoid wine. Studies have linked any type of alcohol to poor outcomes,” Dr. Yawei Zhang, PhD, said to WebMD.