“I have enjoyed great health at a great age because every day since I can remember I have consumed a bottle of wine except when I have not felt well,” a bishop of Seville once said. “Then I have consumed two bottles.” That’s more than anyone would recommend these days. But over the past two decades, the evidence that wine protects the heart has grown indisputable. Now a research team from Europe uncorks a surprising new explanation.

People who drink moderate amounts of alcohol have higher than average levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood, scientists at Catholic University in Campobasso, Italy and the University of Grenoble in France report in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Omega-3s, which are abundant in fatty fish, flaxseeds and walnuts, are thought to protect against coronary artery disease and sudden cardiac death. In a 1999 study that included 11,324 patients who’d recently suffered heart attacks, a supplement of one gram of omega-3 fatty acids reduced the risk of cardiovascular death by 30 percent and sudden cardiac death by 45 percent. Other studies have linked omega-3s to lowered risk of stroke, rheumatoid arthritis, depression, among other conditions.

“Although the mechanisms are not completely defined, there was some evidence that alcohol intake might influence the metabolism of essential polyunsaturated fatty acids,” explained Romina di Giuseppe, who directed the research. The study of 1,604 subjects showed exactly that. “People drinking moderate amounts of alcohol, one drink a day for women and two for men, had higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids in plasma and red blood cells independently of their fish intake.”

The data comes from the IMMIDIET study, which includes volunteers from England, Belgium and Italy. One of its goals is to study how the diets of Italians moving to northern Europe have changed over time, and how those changes affect health. Because wine drinkers predominate in Italy and beer is the favored beverage of Belgium and England, the scientists were also able to compare the respective benefits.

Wine won hands-down. Although beer and wine drinkers both showed elevated levels of omega-3s, the association was stronger among those who imbibe vino. This suggests that something other than alcohol—perhaps the potent antioxidants called polyphenols that are particularly abundant in win—may be responsible. 

If that’s true, even teetotalers can raise a glass to celebrate the new findings. Grapes and grape juice, blueberries, and blackberries are loaded with polyphenols. Best of all, you can enjoy them to your heart’s content without having to choose a designated driver.

For more on the health benefits of wine, check out PDQhealth’s special report, “Sante! Na zdvave! Egeszsegedre!”

Tags: alcohol, cardiovascular disease, fish oil, omega-3 fatty acids, polyphenols, wine