If you suffer from rosacea, it might be time to step away from the white wine.
Although there are some scientifically proven benefits of red wine, which include a lower risk of inflammation and blood clotting around the heart, thanks to the antioxidant found in grape skin called resveratrol, white wine might not be good for you at all.
In this unfortunate study, researchers at Brown University in the US have discovered that alcohol generally “significantly increased risk of rosacea” and that white wine was “significantly associated with a higher risk of rosacea”.
This study included 82,737 women over a 14-year period, following the status of their rosacea in correlation to their alcohol intake. During that time, 4,945 new cases of rosacea occurred.
“We found white wine and liquor were significantly associated with a higher risk of rosacea,” said study senior author Wen-Qing Li, who is an assistant professor of dermatology and epidemiology at Brown University.
“For white wine, compared to never drinkers, [those who drank] one to three drinks per month had a 14 per cent increased risk of rosacea. For five or more white wines a week, risk increased by 49 per cent,” Li said.
According to the National Rosacea Society (NRS), rosacea is characterised as “redness on the cheeks, nose, chin or forehead that may come and go,” and over time, the redness can become more permanent and “visible blood vessels may appear.”
“Left untreated, bumps and pimples often develop, and in severe cases the nose may grow swollen and bumpy from excess tissue,” says the NRS.
Rosacea can affect all parts of the population, but is more frequently diagnosed in women. There is no cure, and it is often influenced by genetics. Your doctor or dermatologist can help diagnose you, and provide treatment options for your condition.
One of the study’s aims was to raise awareness for this link between alcohol and rosacea for consumers, while also narrowing down the specific type of alcohol that poses the greatest risk.
It is unclear is there is a similar connection in men, as the study solely included female participants.
But it’s not all bad! A 29-year-long study found red wine drinkers to have a 34 per cent lower mortality rate than that of beer and vodka drinkers.
Plus, it was suggested in the same study that wine can actually lead to weight loss because “ellargic acids inside a vineyard’s grapes have the power to delay the growth of fat cells and slow the development of new ones.”
Plus, a 2011 study found that moderate drinkers were 23 per cent less likely to develop mental diseases, such as Alzheimer’s.
And if that wasn’t reason enough to treat yourself with a glass of Pinot Noir tonight, we don’t know what it is…
If you want to learn more about rosacea, or the impact alcohol can have on your health and wellbeing, contact your trusted dermatologist or GP for a confidential chat.
