Red Wine and Your Health: What the Experts Are Now Warning

If you enjoy a glass of wine with your dinner, during Friday night Kiddush, or at family gatherings, Professor Devi Sridhar, Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh, published a compelling article in the British Guardian, warning that any amount of alcohol poses a health risk.

"Alcohol poisons our bodies," asserts Prof. Sridhar. "This isn't a moral statement — it's a scientific fact based on large-scale epidemiological studies. Even one glass of wine a day increases the risk of high blood pressure and heart problems."

Her statements are further supported by a dramatic declaration from the World Health Organization (WHO), which stated that “there is no safe level of alcohol consumption.” Sridhar added: “Alcohol causes at least seven types of cancer, including breast cancer, and ethanol directly causes cancer when our cells break it down.”

For years, red wine has been considered a healthy beverage, with some studies suggesting potential cardiovascular benefits. However, Sridhar argues that many of these studies were biased: “Some of them didn’t account for the fact that red wine drinkers were more likely to be educated, wealthy, physically active, eat more vegetables, and have health insurance.”

“In 2006, a new analysis that accounted for health-related factors found no benefits to red wine consumption,” she continues. “Since then, growing evidence shows that even one glass of wine a day raises the risk of high blood pressure and heart issues.”

Sridhar harshly criticizes the alcohol industry, claiming it funded studies promoting the benefits of moderate drinking. “You should always check who funds a study and whether there’s a conflict of interest. Commercial interests have blurred the research landscape, leading to dangerous statements — such as the claim that drinking one alcoholic beverage a day during pregnancy is safe. Fetal brain imaging in 2022 showed that even one drink a week during pregnancy harms the baby’s developing brain.”