Drinking red wine before smoking can prevent short term vascular damage
Cigarette smoke causes acute endothelial damage, vascular and systemic inflammation, and cellular aging. Red wine stimulates the formation of endothelium-dependent relaxation factors such as nitric oxide, which improve endothelial function in coronary arteries possibly because of the high phenol concentration in red wine. "However, sparse data exist on the short term potential vasoprotective effects of red wine in smoking-healthy individuals," explained lead investigator Viktoria Schwarz, MD, of the University of Saarland, Homburg, Germany. "The aim of our study was to investigate the acute vascular effects of red wine consumption prior to 'occasional lifestyle smoking' in healthy individuals. We found evidence that preconsumption of red wine prevented most of the vascular injury caused by smoking." The study examined the effects of smoking on various biochemical processes in the blood and vessels of 20 healthy non-smokers who volunteered to smoke thre...