A leading scientist has said he feels better about drinking red wine since he discovered it has “magic properties” that are beneficial for the heart.

Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London, said studies had “consistently shown” that it is different to other types of alcohol.

He said the current thinking was that small amounts of red wine, even daily, were “probably okay”.

He said: “I’ve felt better about drinking red wine over the last 10 years since I discovered it has magic properties that make it different from most other alcohols in that it’s still got a close connection with fruit and the skin of the grape because [with] red wine, unlike white wine, the skin is left in contact with the mixture.

“We are mainly talking about polyphenols, which are this group of defence chemicals that used to be known as anti-oxidants, leaking into the liquid.

“It’s these polyphenols which are rocket fuel for your [gut] microbes. Despite the alcohol you are feeding your microbes, further down the chain they are paying you back by helping your immune system and heart and metabolism in general.

The Herald:

“Some people have said that might explain the so-called French paradox which showed around 10 years ago that the French had fewer heart attacks than Americans; three or four times less heart problems.

“I think it’s probably exaggerated to say it’s all down to red wine.”

The Lancet published a study in 2018 suggesting there is no safe level of alcohol.

The research assessed alcohol-related health patterns between 1990 and 2016 in 195 countries and found three million deaths globally were attributed to alcohol use.

It found alcohol consumption is a major avoidable risk factor for diseases such as liver cirrhosis, some cancers and cardiovascular diseases. 

Prof Spector said he was not suggesting people have carte blanche to over-indulge in red wine.

He said: “The trick is to get the dose right, as always. That’s something that we all struggle with and it’s very individual. That’s why this government approach, [where] most countries say there are a certain amount of units that most men and women should have, is problematic. 

“Your response to alcohol is highly personalised and of course some people can’t drink it at all.

"But consistently you’ve had this reduction in heart disease when you are drinking less than two glasses of wine per day on average.

"So we think that alcohol on one hand in large amounts is harmful but in small amounts if might be okay.That’s our current thinking.”