The High Council for Public Health (HCSP) has officially disowned the conclusions of a study released earlier this year by the French health ministry's National Cancer Institute (INCA) which had warned that drinking even small amounts of wine and alcohol significantly increased the risk of developing cancer, with the risk rising exponentially with higher quantities.
The advice by INCA to abstain from drinking any alcohol, including beer and wine, was based on data collected from more than 500 international cancer studies. The report had upset the winegrowers, who claimed INCA's findings contradicted several eminent medical studies showing various benefits of drinking wine, prompting health minister Roselyne Bachelot to beat a retreat.
'I myself enjoy a glass of wine with my meals,' said Roselyne later according to the report in Decanter. She had asked the HCSP for another sound opinion.
The HCSP report says, 'Concerning the prevention of cancers, INCA advises against alcohol consumption but has chosen not to take into account the possible protective effect against cardio-vascular diseases afforded by slight alcohol consumption.'
The report, prepared by a panel of leading medical experts , said that there was no convincing argument to justify the modification of current recommendations in favour of total abstinence.
Based on several research papers and interaction with scores of doctors from across the world at the Heart and Health International Conventions in the US, delWine has always recommended 1-2 glasses of wine daily, and continues to do so-though your doctor’s suggestions should be taken into account- Editor
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