World experts meet in Sydney to explore health benefits of wine

Scientists, healthcare professionals and medical practitioners from all over the world are meeting at the WineHealth 2013 scientific conference in Sydney to discuss the impacts of wine consumption on human health, local media reported on Thursday. The three-day conference, which started on Thursday, provides an opportunity for global experts to explore the epidemiological evidence of the effect of wine as a unique alcoholic beverage. In all, 27 specialists from 10 countries will present papers at the WineHealth scientific meeting, according to the Australian Associated Press (AAP). The Australian wine industry hopes the papers will influence policy discussions on wine and health. "Unfortunately, as Australia debates how to deal with health and social issues around alcohol abuse, we are now hearing claims from some lobby groups that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption," Winemakers Federation of Australia Chief Executive Paul Evans said. "These experts will present a number of studies that contribute to the growing body of research linking moderate wine consumption with a healthy lifestyle." Nutrition Program Manager for Cancer Council New South Wales Clare Hughes said people who drink should follow the government's alcohol guidelines. "But we can't ignore a huge body of independent evidence linking moderate alcohol consumption with increased risk of cancer, " she said. "Our own research suggests people aren't aware of this." The Heart Foundation of Australia recommends people eat at least two serves of fruit and five serves of vegetables every day to ensure sufficient antioxidant intake.