Wine and the Mediterranean Diet: New Perspectives on Nutrition and Public Health

Wine and the Mediterranean diet have long held a distinctive place in discussions of nutrition, culture, and health. Both are rooted in centuries of culinary tradition and social practice, yet in contemporary public health discourse they are often examined through narrow or fragmented lenses. Wine is frequently assessed only in terms of its ethanol content, while the Mediterranean diet is sometimes reduced to a list of foods without sufficient attention to its broader lifestyle, behavioral, and cultural dimensions. Emerging research suggests that a more integrated perspective is needed.Wine contains a complex mixture of bioactive compounds—particularly polyphenols, flavonoids, and tannins—that may interact with metabolic, inflammatory, and oxidative pathways in ways that differ from other alcoholic beverages. At the same time, ethanol metabolism generates acetaldehyde and reactive oxygen species (ROS), which can contribute to cellular damage and long-term health risks. The Mediterranean diet, meanwhile, is characterized by a high intake of plant-based foods, olive oil, legumes, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, together with meal patterns and social practices that may independently or collectively support health. Within this dietary pattern, moderate wine consumption has traditionally been considered in relation to the overall nutritional matrix rather than in isolation.Understanding the relationship between wine and the Mediterranean diet is therefore essential for advancing a balanced, evidence-based perspective on nutrition and public health. Important questions remain regarding whether the physiological effects of moderate wine consumption are modified by dietary context, how wine compares with other components of the Mediterranean diet in shaping cardiometabolic, inflammatory, and aging-related outcomes, and how cultural and behavioral factors influence both consumption patterns and health messaging. This Research Topic aims to examine wine and the Mediterranean diet as overlapping yet distinct areas of inquiry, bringing together biochemical, nutritional, clinical, epidemiological, behavioral, and policy perspectives. We welcome contributions that explore the risks, mechanisms, and potential health relevance of wine consumption, as well as broader investigations into the Mediterranean diet as a dietary and lifestyle model for disease prevention, healthy aging, and health promotion.Submissions may include, but are not limited to:• Comparative analyses of wine and other alcoholic beverages with respect to polyphenol composition, antioxidant potential, and metabolic effects• Mechanistic studies on ethanol metabolism, acetaldehyde toxicity, oxidative stress, inflammation, and endogenous defense systems• Research on the Mediterranean diet as a whole dietary pattern, including its metabolic, cardiovascular, inflammatory, microbiota-related, and healthy aging effects• Studies examining the role of wine within the Mediterranean diet, including the influence of meal context, food matrix, and lifestyle factors• Epidemiological or clinical investigations evaluating wine, the Mediterranean diet, or their combined associations with health outcomes• Research on gut microbiota, metabolic regulation, oxidative balance, and longevity in relation to wine intake and Mediterranean diet adherence• Critical reappraisals of the French Paradox and its relevance to current nutrition and public health research• Studies addressing wine consumption, healthy aging, and longevity, including research in older adults and centenarian populations• Comparisons between organic and conventional wines in relation to composition, production methods, bioactive compounds, and potential health effects• Perspectives on public health messaging, cultural attitudes, and risk-benefit communication concerning alcohol, diet, and lifestyle• Review articles synthesizing recent scientific and policy developments on wine, the Mediterranean diet, and public health Topic editors: Norbert Latruffe, Alberto Bertelli, Jean Pierre Rifler Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/84567/wine-and-the-mediterranean-diet-new-perspectives-on-nutrition-and-public-health