Wine "reduces Barret's Esophagus risk 56%"

Drinking one glass of wine a day may lower the risk of Barrett's Esophagus by 56%, according to a new study by scientists at Kaiser  Permanente, the USA's largest non-profit health insurer. The condition  is a precursor to esophageal cancer, the country's fastest-growing  cancer with an incidence rate that has jumped 500% in the last 30  years.

This is the first and largest population-based study to examine the  connection between alcohol consumption and risk of Barrett's Esophagus.  Funded in part by the US National Institutes of Health, the Kaiser  Permanente study looked at 953 men and women in Northern California  between 2002 and 2005 and found that those who drank one or more  glasses of red or white wine a day had less than half the risk of the  condition. However, there was no reduction of risk among people who  drank beer or liquor.

Barrett's Esophagus affects 5% of the population and occurs when  heartburn or acid reflux permanently damages the esophageal lining.  Sufferers have a 30- to 40-fold higher risk of developing esophageal  adenocarcinoma. Because there are no symptoms or warning signs of  Barrett's Esophagus, people discover they have it when an endoscopy  for anemia, heartburn or a ulcer reveals the condition.