White Wine and Melanoma

The alcohol relationship with cancer has grown more complex. New study has found a link between drinking and melanoma. Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer and somehow white wine shows the highest risk of getting it.

Previous studies have found differing results on alcohol’s links to cancer. When the body metabolizes ethanol, some is turned into acetaldehyde, a carcinogen that can impair cells’ efforts to repair DNA. It’s proved that heavy alcohol consumption leads to cancers of the liver, pancreas, colon and rectum. However several studies have found also a link between even light drinking and breast cancer.

The new study about white wine consumption was published in the American Association for Cancer Research’s journal Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.  Eunyoung Cho who is an author, is an associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University.

Why white wine not a red one? The researchers theorized that because wine has higher levels of pre-existing acetaldehyde than beer or spirits, it poses a higher risk. And while red and white wine have similar levels, the antioxidants in red wine may counterbalance the risk. (Previous studies have found that the antioxidant resveratrol may reduce the risk of melanomas and protect the body from sunburns.)

Source: spadeepmagazine