Wine & Health, apr 2004:
Smoke One, Drink One, Smoke One, Drink One...

While we're sure that the researchers didn't mean it this way, we can almost hear the reverberating "a-ha" from smokers eager to cling to any piece of encouragement. A recent study published in the February American Heart Journal indicates that red wine may alleviate the harmful effects of cigarette smoking.

Conducted at the Alexandra University Hospital in Athens, Greece, the study observed the effects of red wine on the endothelial cells that line blood vessels. Smoking causes inflammation of the endothelial cells and impairs their function. The results indicate that drinking a glass of red wine while smoking seemed to decrease the smoke's harmful effect.

The researchers cautioned that red wine's helpfulness might not apply to habitual or chain smokers.

Source: http://www.ahajournals.org/