Wine and prostate cancer

Despite evidence for other types of diseases, neither the American Cancer Society nor the Prostate Cancer Foundation list alcohol among the known risk factors for prostate cancer. It is also unclear whether alcohol consumption is associated with the risk of developing an aggressive form of prostate cancer (e.g., metastatic).

A systematic review published in 2016 seemed to suggest that men who consume alcohol may have a higher risk of developing the disease than those who abstain, with the risk increasing proportionally with alcohol consumption. It should be noted, however, that the study relies on self-reports of alcohol consumption, which may therefore not be completely reliable.
The results of a study published in 2018 suggest a possible link between alcohol consumption at a young age and the risk of developing prostate cancer later in life. This study, while providing very important data, also has some limitations, such as its reliance on self-reported information, which could be subject to error. Furthermore, the heavy drinkers in the study were often also heavy smokers, and those who reported drinking heavily early in life generally continued to drink later in life.

To address this question, a group of researchers from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and the University of California, San Francisco investigated whether alcohol consumption among men at risk for prostate cancer was associated with the diagnosis of an aggressive disease and whether alcohol consumption among men with non-metastatic prostate cancer was associated with the development of metastases and increased mortality.
This prospective study involved 47,568 men who had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer without a cancer diagnosis, monitored from 1986 to 2012 by the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.

Of these men, 5,182 were diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer during the follow-up period. The association between disease severity and mortality with overall alcohol consumption, red and white wine consumption, beer, and spirits was examined.
It emerged that men who drank alcohol had a slightly lower risk of developing fatal prostate cancer than men who abstained.
Specifically, the lowest risk of death from prostate cancer was observed in men who consumed a total amount of alcohol between 15 and 30 g/day, primarily through wine.

BUT IS ANY WINE GOOD FOR PROSTATE CANCER?

There are different types of wine. And we Italians know this well.
Based on this evidence, further studies were conducted to determine whether wine consumption actually had a protective role against the progression of prostate cancer, but above all to understand whether one type of wine had more benefits than others.
A meta-analysis curiously observed that moderate red wine consumption was associated with a lower risk of developing prostate cancer, while moderate white wine consumption, on the contrary, had the opposite effect.

But why red wine?

There's no clear answer, but most "suspects" focus on certain chemicals absent from other alcoholic beverages, such as various flavonoids and resveratrol. These compounds have antioxidant properties, and some appear to counteract androgens, the male hormones that stimulate prostate cancer growth.
Laboratory experiments have shown that flavonoids reduce PSA production by prostate cancer cells, suggesting a decrease in cellular activity, and resveratrol dampens the activity of genes that promote cell growth and, in some cases, induces tumor cell death.

Before jumping to conclusions, it should be noted that further research is needed to definitively determine the correlation between alcohol consumption and the development of prostate cancer. However, what can be deduced is that drinking in moderation is generally safe for people with this condition.

It should be noted, however, that alcohol can interact with some medications, so it's always best to consult a doctor to ensure drinking is safe.
More generally, it's important to emphasize that implementing certain lifestyle changes can help a person live well during prostate cancer treatment. These changes may include increasing physical activity and following a healthy diet.