Red wine or white wine: which is healthier?

Is red the healthier glass? On the evidence we hold, neither is. In the 2-year CASCADE trial, adults with type 2 diabetes who had not been drinking took about 5 fl oz (150 mL) of red wine, white wine or water daily, and carotid plaque showed no difference between the three groups. The EU refused the claim that red wine polyphenols help blood vessels.

The table leaves out the alcohol. A US survey glass of white wine, 6.3 oz (180 g), holds about 18.5 g, more than the 14 g in a US standard drink. The CDC says even less than one drink a day can raise the risk of certain cancers, that people under 21 should not drink, and that no amount of red or white is known to be safe in pregnancy.

Red differs in two ways. In 1995 studies, iron from a meal was absorbed 2 to 3 times better with white wine, too little to change iron balance, the authors judged. And the NIAAA warns that on MAOI antidepressants, tyramine, found in red wine, raises the risk of dangerously high blood pressure.

If you drink, pick by taste and count the pour. On diabetes medicines, ask your doctor first, because alcohol with them can bring abnormally low blood sugar.

Evidence behind this note

1. Level B In the 2-year CASCADE RCT in 174 adults with type 2 diabetes, 150 ml/day of red wine did not change carotid plaque volume compared with water (-1.3 vs -1.4 mm3). Eur J Clin Nutr, 2018
2. Level B Over 2 years, 5.1 fl oz (150 ml) of white wine a day did not change carotid plaque volume in adults with type 2 diabetes compared with water (-1.2 vs -1.4 mm3). Eur J Clin Nutr, 2018
3. Level E The EU refused to authorize the claim that red wine polyphenols help vascular function and a healthy heart. EU Register on nutrition and health claims, claim POL-HC-7784, snapshot 2026-09-21
4. Level E A US survey glass of white wine is 180 g, carrying about 148 calories and 18.5 g alcohol, and half a bottle carries 38.6 g alcohol. USDA FNDDS 2021-2023, food code 93401020
5. Level E A US standard drink holds about 14 g of pure alcohol, which is a 5-ounce glass of wine at 12 percent alcohol. NIAAA, What Is A Standard Drink?
6. Level E Red wine is an alcoholic drink. CDC defines moderate drinking as two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women, says people younger than 21 and people who are or might be pregnant should not drink at all, and states that even less than 1 drink per day can raise the risk of certain cancers. CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use
7. Level E White wine is an alcoholic drink. CDC defines moderate drinking as two drinks or less in a day for men and one drink or less in a day for women, says people younger than 21 and people who are or might be pregnant should not drink at all, and states that even less than 1 drink per day can raise the risk of certain cancers. CDC, About Moderate Alcohol Use
8. Level E CDC states there is no known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy, and red wine is no exception. US CDC, About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy
9. Level E US health authorities state there is no known safe amount of alcohol in pregnancy, and white wine is no exception. CDC, About Alcohol Use During Pregnancy, 2026
10. Level C In radioiron studies in 33 people, nonheme iron absorption was 2 to 3 times higher from white wine than from polyphenol-rich red wines, an effect the authors judged unlikely to affect iron balance. Am J Clin Nutr, 1995
11. Level E The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) says MAOI antidepressants such as tranylcypromine and phenelzine combined with alcohol may cause serious heart-related side effects, and that the risk of dangerously high blood pressure rises when MAOIs are mixed with tyramine, which it says is found in red wine and beer. NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (brochure, revised 2014)
12. Level E The US alcohol institute (NIAAA) lists abnormally low blood sugar and a flushing reaction as possible reactions when alcohol, as in white wine, is mixed with diabetes medicines such as the sulfonylureas glipizide and glyburide. NIAAA, Harmful Interactions: Mixing Alcohol with Medicines (brochure, revised 2014)
13. Level C Dutch adults pouring wine at home served 4.4 fl oz (129 ml) of white wine on average, about 30 percent more than the 3.4 fl oz (100 ml) standard glass. Public Health Nutr, 2019
14. Level E Dry white wine has about 75 calories, 10.3 g alcohol and 0.6 g sugar per 3.5 oz (100 g), while sweet white wine has 94 calories and 5.9 g sugar. CoFID 2021, Public Health England, codes 17-755 and 17-233

Written from the studies and agency guidance we hold for both foods, reviewed by the Bioma editorial system. How we verify.

Read more about these foods

• Red wine: a daily glass for two years did not shrink artery plaque
• White wine: what two years of daily glasses did in adults with type 2 diabetes

Rankings and guides

• Fiber: what it does and how much you need
• Sodium: what it does and how much you need
• Which foods are highest in potassium?
• Red wine: full nutrition facts
• White wine: full nutrition facts

• Red wine: USDA FoodData Central, Alcoholic beverage, wine, table, red, FDC ID 173190 · full profile · all forms of red wine
• White wine: USDA FoodData Central, Alcoholic beverage, wine, table, white, FDC ID 174837 · full profile · all forms of white wine

Each food is one USDA entry, chosen as it is usually eaten. Other cuts, brands and preparations differ; the links show them. % DV uses FDA Daily Values for adults. How we verify.