# Wine Consumption and Lung Cancer Risk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

## TL;DR

This study finds no overall link between wine consumption and lung cancer risk, though a possible protective effect is seen in smokers.

## Contribution

A meta-analysis investigating the specific relationship between wine consumption and lung cancer risk, stratified by smoking status and study design.

## Key findings

- Overall analysis showed a non-significant 11% reduction in lung cancer risk from wine consumption.
- Among smokers, wine consumption was associated with a significant 22% reduced lung cancer risk.
- The protective effect disappeared when analyses were stratified by study design.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related mortality, with tobacco smoking being the primary risk factor. However, a significant percentage of lung cancer patients are non-smokers, suggesting the involvement of other risk factors, including alcohol consumption. The IARC classifies ethanol as a Group 1 carcinogen, but unlike other alcoholic beverages, wine contains polyphenols with potential health benefits. Some meta-analyses even suggest a protective effect, which led us to conduct our own meta-analysis to further investigate this possible correlation. Methods: We conducted a systematic review and stratified the risk across population subgroups based on smoking status and gender. We then performed a categorical “highest vs. lowest” meta-analysis, comparing heavy consumers with very occasional drinkers, using a random-effects model. Only studies examining the risk of developing lung cancer in wine drinkers were included, excluding those with different outcomes, non-primary, ineligible populations, or involving pregnant women. The literature search was conducted in three databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science. The risk of bias was assessed with the Newcastle–Ottawa quality rating scale for both case–control and cohort studies (NOS), while statistical analyses were performed using the ProMeta 3.0 software. Results: The overall analysis showed a non-statistically significant 11% reduction in lung cancer risk (OR = 0.89; 95% CI: 0.77–1.03). The analysis among smokers revealed a significant 22% reduction in lung cancer risk associated with wine consumption (OR = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.62–0.97). However, this effect was lost when the analysis was conducted separately based on the study design. Conclusions: No correlation emerged between wine consumption and lung cancer incidence, either in a protective sense or in terms of increased risk. However, further studies are needed to investigate this correlation more accurately, particularly among non-smokers.