Red wine good for nothing, say Indian doctors

Dismissing the widely held theory that red wine is good for health,
leading Indian doctors Tuesday said that no one in the world has proved
the positive side of either the red wine or any category of alcohol.



Scores of leading doctors assembled in the national capital to
participate in a national health summit were unanimous in their view
that wine, beer or any other form of alcohol couldn't be promoted as a
health enhancer.



'I have gone through nearly 1.6 crores - articles on health and alcohol
but none has proved that alcohol is good for health especially for
heart,' said H. K. Chopra, chief cardiologist at Moolchand Medicity
here.



'It's simply a perception among people that taking red wine will do
wonder for heart. Why don't they take grape juice instead?' Chopra, who
is also the chairman of the World Heart Academy, said.



M.C. Mishra head of surgery at the All India Institute of Medical
Sciences - here said: 'People drink alcohol, smoke five packets of
cigarettes but never bother to take fruits. In the name of
anti-oxidants, these wine companies promote wine and people blindly
believe it.'



India needs more of health clubs and wellness centres rather than
hospitals, said B.K. Rao chairman of the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital.



'Most of our people are not health conscious. They take all junk foods,
aerated drinks, alcohol and other unnecessary things and complain about
the increasing disease burden.



'No one speaks about the benefits of exercise but are loud about wine.
It's a worrying trend. We need good food and regular exercise to keep
out heart healthy not red wine,' Rao told IANS on the sidelines of the
summit.



S. C. Manchanda, a former head of cardiology at AIIMS expressed similar
opinion and urged people to drink water instead of wine. 'Drink water,
it will keep your body and mind clean.'



Shikha Sharma, a leading nutritionist of the capital also snubbed the
idea of alcohol as a health enhancer. 'When people already have so much
of burden, they cannot afford more of it with wine or any other form of
alcohol. What we need is a balanced diet.'



Chopra also said that the growing nightclubs and pubs are just
promoting alcohol among youngsters and it is worsening the situation.
'Sedentary lifestyle coupled with stress and alcohol are making the
chronic disease scenario worst in India.'



A recent survey by ASSOCHAM, a leading industry lobby of India, has
found that deaths due to chronic diseases like heart attacks and
diabetes would register a sharp increase from 3.78 million in 1990 to
7.63 million in 2020.