Onav and the Medical Association together, between wine and health, with “In Vino Veritas”

From being a staple food for the caloric intake of so many people, wine has become a product of pleasure, with all that this has entailed, starting with the abused “drink less but better” that has, even in a virtuous way, contracted consumption in quantity, at least at the national level, and helped push producers down the road of quality. But there is no doubt that the increasing attention to health of both individual citizens, starting with the youngest, and national and international health institutions, is pushing for a further turn in this direction, as evidenced by, in no particular order, a decline in consumption that does not stop, the growth of low and zero alcohol products, and so on. It may not please the world of production and the most fervent fans of the nectar of Bacchus, but to ignore that the “world is changing”, once again, would be short-sighted. And that is why initiatives that, at the very least, try to professionally frame, perhaps with the support of doctors and scientists, the delicate topic of the relationship between wine and health are always positive. As Onav - Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Vino (National Organization of Wine Tasters) and the Order of Doctors of Milan will also do, on September 18, at Palazzo Sommaruga, in Milan, with “In Vino Veritas”, a conference (which can also be followed online) that aims to put technical aspects, sensory perception and communication of wine in relation to body, health and balance.
“Wine and health have been topics of debate for years, and the intent of this conference is to bring clarity by correlating them based on verifiable evidence”, says Vito Intini, Onav president. “A scientific panel, each with their own specialization, will talk about the power of knowledge of the risks and benefits of wine”.
“We are pleased, as the Milan Medical Association, to be able to bring our scientific contribution to a topic that has been in the news so much lately”, says Dr. Alberto Martelli, chief pediatrician. “In fact, wine and the consumption of ethanol, in general, have recently catalyzed the attention of health professionals regarding the ventilated hypothesis of placing alerts on the labels of alcoholic beverages, including wine, as with cigarette packs. This measure, so far only imagined (with the exception of Ireland, ed.), requires an in-depth scientific investigation of the real effects of ethanol consumption, including the amounts consumed and the characteristics of patients who use it abnormally. Four nodal issues will be covered and discussed: communication strategies for the adolescent and the effects of ethanol on the cardiovascular system, liver and blood. In a current landscape of uncertainties and doubts, our task, as the title “In Vino Veritas” says, will be to investigate and point out, in the light of the latest scientific literature, the real aspects, favorable or not, of the effect of ethanol on our health”.