At the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona In September 2009, a German study from University of Cologne, Germany was presented. The aim was to examine whether the regular and moderate consumption of wine has an effect on circulating endothelial progenitor cells and endothelial function of blood vessels.

Circulating endothelial progenitor cells play an important role for the regeneration and function of blood vessels. Several studies have identified an inverse relationship between the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and cardiovascular risk factors.

The study included 27 obese type 2 diabetic men with an average age of 63 years. Their mean body mass index (BMI) was 35. After a four-week period of strict abstinence from alcoholic beverages, participants consumed 300 ml of dry red wine with their meals daily for a period of six weeks. After another “washout” period of 6 weeks where the participants remained abstinent, they were switched to 300ml of white wine per day. No additional alcoholic beverages were allowed.

The findings show that red as well as white wine consumption resulted in an increase in the number of circulating endothelial progenitor cells and thus might contribute to an improvement of peripheral endothelial function and a reduced cardiovascular risk.

Source: Seck, C, Nia AM, Kreuter G, Flesch, M et al: Effect of Red and White Wine on Circulating Progenitor Cells and Endothelial Function in Type 2-Diabetics – Eur. Society of Cardiology Congress 2009 September, Barcelona