Wine Consumption Associated With Lower Risk of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in Men NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Sept 17 - The consumption of wine, but not beer or other spirits, is associated with a reduced risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, according to the results of a population-based study of US men. Dr. Nathaniel C. Briggs from Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tennessee, and colleagues collected data on 960 men with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed between 1984 and 1988, and 1,717 randomly recruited age-matched controls. The men in the case group were participants in the Selected Cancers Study and were 32 to 60 years of age. Regression analysis that accounted for age, race/ethnicity, education and smoking, found that, compared with nondrinkers, the odds ratio for developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for men who consumed less than one wine drink per day and those who consumed one or more wine drinks was 0.8 and 0.4, respectively (p for trend = 0.02). Among men who started drinking wine at 16 years of age or before, the odds ratio for developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma for those who had less than one drink a day was 0.4 and 0.3 for those who had one or more drinks per day (p for trend = 0.004), the researchers add. There was no association between drinking beer or other spirits and risk for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Dr. Briggs's team notes in their report in the September 1st issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology. A possible biological explanation for the relationship of wine and NHL risk is the inhibition of the initiation, promotion and progression of cancer by resveratrol, a phytoestrogen found in wine, as documented in published literature. Dr. Briggs and colleagues believe that "the most plausible interpretation of the data is a linear decrease in the risk of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with consumption of wine in quantities of up to one drink per day." "The strength of the association, the presence of a dose-response relation, consistent findings from smaller studies, and a biologically plausible mechanism all increase the likelihood of causality," they add. Am J Epidemiol 2002;156:454-462. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.