Wine and health, an European study to compare moderate consumption (Mediterranean), and abstinence

The theme of the bond between wine consumption, alcohol abuse and health is one of the hottest and under the spotlights, whose future management will be determining for the beverage sector. Fundamentally, there are two great “parties”: those who don’t distinguish between consumption and abuse, and push towards “no safe level”, such as, among others, the World Health Organization, and that of those people who support moderate wine consumption during meals following the model of the Mediterranean Diet, has not only advantages for health, but it is also better than a total abstinence basing on the J-Curve model, which was already mentioned several times. And, now, supporting this thesis, a new European study is entering into the operational phase, and will be driven by professor Miguel A. Martínez-González, professor of Public Health at the University of Navarre, a world figure of reference in epidemiological research. The name of the European study is Unati (University of Navarra Alumni Trialist Initiative), and it is funded by European Research Council (Erc) with 2.5 million euros, and it is a “trial” which, for the first time, will compare the effects of the total abstention, and moderate consumption of wine in a food model based on the Mediterranean Diet throughout a randomized and controlled study of intervention. The study, currently in a phase of starting, will involve over 10,000 adults aging between 50 and 75 years, and will supply scientifically-based answers on a key theme for public health. The aim, explains a note, is to supply clear and scientifically-based answers to one of the most discussed questions regarding public health.
“It is the first trial in the world which is projected to evaluate scientifically if the total elimination of alcohol is really healthier compared to a moderate consumption of wine, when inserted in a Mediterranean food habit  - explained Martínez-González -  a diet, which, integrated to healthy lifestyles and physical activity showed to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and general mortality significantly”.
The announcement arrived at the international congress “Lifestyle, Diet, Wine & Health”, promoted by Wine Information Council, Irvas (Istituto per la Ricerca sul Vino e la Salute – Institute for Research on Wine and Health), and Wine in Moderation, which united, in Rome, in the last days, researchers, and international experts (as we explained here) to discuss about the role of healthy lifestyles, of Mediterranean Diet, and of wine moderate consumption in the promotion of public health. And, during which, among other things the fact that “health doesn’t depend on a single food or nutrient, but derives from the totality of aware food choices and cultural factors” was reaffirmed.
“This congress represented a fundamental moment for the dialogue between science, culture, and public health  - declared professor Attilio Giacosa, president Irvas -  we are satisfied to have contributed to create a rigorous space of confrontation in which wine was analyzed in its natural context: that of Mediterranean Diet, and of balanced lifestyles. The quality of interventions and the solidity of presented evidences confirm the necessity to continue to invest in nutritional research overcoming polarized narrations and not evidence-based in favor of a scientific, integrated, and personalized evaluation”.