Premium winemakers need to fight cancer warning, says a wine writer (ABC News)

Wine companies are being tipped to fight a Cancer Council warning about the health dangers of alcohol consumption.

The Cancer Council says any more than two alcoholic drinks per day can lead to breast, liver, bowel, mouth or throat cancers.

CEO Ian Olver says alcohol contributes to 6,500 of the 115,000 cases of cancer expected annually in Australia.

He says new research shows alcohol is as dangerous as tobacco use or exposure to asbestos.

“This is from the international agency on research on cancer and they put all the data together, so in terms of a cancer-causing chemical, alcohol is right up there with tobacco and asbestos,” he said.

Wine writer Philip White says premium wine companies will have to launch a campaign to respond.

He argues there is a vast difference in the health effects from cheap alcohol use compared with drinking wine produced by premium wineries.

“The small producers of premium wine that don’t use petrochemical sprays and have clean product which is much healthier than industrialised stuff have to come out and be separate and say ‘Hey we’re not part of that thing’,” he said.

We are sorry but what a load of rubbish. Wine is been proven to have health benifits some of which we site below –
Overall Health Benefits:
• Anti-aging effects in red grape skins (Harvard Medical School in Boston, 2004)
Lung Health Benefits:
• Improved lung function from antioxidants in white wine (American Thoracic Society, 2002)
Heart Health Benefits:
• Coronary heart disease reduced (University of California, Davis, 1995)

• Healthier blood vessels in elderly (University of Ferrara in Italy, 2004)
Ulcer Prevention:
• Ulcer-causing bacteria reduced (American Journal of Gastroenterology, 2003)
Cancer Prevention:
• Cancer cells killed by protein in red grape skins (University of Virginia Health System, 2004)
Stroke Prevention:
• Arteries kept clean by polyphenols in red grape skins (William Harvey Research Institute, 2002)
Women’s Health Benefits:
• Decreased ovarian cancer risk (The Queensland Institute of Medical Research in Australia, 2004)

• Stronger bones (Twin Research and Genetic Epidemiology Unit, St. Thomas’ Hospital in London, 2004)

• Lower risk of stroke (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2001)
Men’s Health Benefits:
• Lower risk of heart attack for men with high blood pressure (Worcester Medical Center in Massachusetts, 2004)

As always you should make up your own mind and drink in moderation but always think twice about believing everything you read in the media.