The Horrifying Connection Between White Wine and Skin Cancer

If you end a tough workweek with a glass (or three . . . ) of Sauvignon Blanc, you may want to reconsider. According to a study from Brown University, alcohol intake — especially white wine — is associated with higher rates of invasive melanoma among white men and women.

The study followed a whopping 210,252 participants over an average of 18 years. Consumption of beer, red wine, and liquor did not pose a significant risk, but each drink per day of white wine was associated with a 13 percent increased risk of melanoma. Findings showed that body parts that get less sun exposure, such as the torso, have the highest probability of melanoma diagnosis.

Past research has shown that alcohol can cause carcinogenesis and result in certain cancers, including pancreas, colon, and breast cancers. This is because the ethanol in alcohol metabolizes into acetaldehyde, which damages DNA and prevents DNA repair. Melanoma is one of three major forms of skin cancer, and it is the deadliest type.

However, the author of the study, Eunyoung Cho, ScD. (an associate professor of dermatology and epidemiology at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University), noted that she was surprised that white wine was the only alcohol to result in increased melanoma risk. Red and white wine have similar amounts of acetaldehyde, but Cho believes it is possible that red wine's antioxidants reduce its damage.

For those of you who were under the impression that drinking the occasional glass of wine is actually healthy, you're not wrong. Cho acknowledged that some alcohol intake has been connected to reduction in heart disease.

"For drinkers, risks and benefits of alcohol consumption have to be considered individually, including the risk related to skin cancer," she said.

Unfortunately, there were too few nonwhite participants to declare how alcohol affects melanoma development in minority groups. But for now, this news is likely enough to make everyone, regardless of complexion, reassess their love of white wine.