Controlled postoperative red wine intake versus abstinence in habitual wine drinkers undergoing elective urological surgery (WISE): a translational randomized controlled trial assessing quality of life, surgical outcomes and complications

To date, no prospective randomized study has evaluated whether controlled postoperative red wine intake, compared with abstinence, affects recovery in habitual wine drinkers undergoing surgery. In this single-center randomized controlled trial (NCT05261620), habitual wine drinkers scheduled for elective urological surgery were randomized 1:1 to abstinence from alcohol (Control Arm) or standardized red wine intake (150 mL of 13% v/v red wine with lunch and with dinner) from postoperative day 1 to day 30 (Experimental Arm). The primary endpoint was the between-group difference in change from baseline to 30 days in the SF-36 Mental Health Index (MHI). Secondary endpoints included postoperative complications, hospital readmission, length of hospitalization, blood parameters, and oxidative stress markers. The mean change in MHI was − 0.6 in the Control Arm and + 0.7 in the Experimental Arm (difference 1.3 points; 95% CI − 1.9 to 4.6; p = 0.4). Overall complications (16.1% vs. 9.8%; p = 0.4), length of hospital stay and 30-day readmissions (8.1% vs. 0%; p = 0.06) did not differ significantly between the Control and Experimental Arms, respectively. Blood parameters and oxidative stress markers showed no clinically relevant differences. Among predominantly older male habitual wine drinkers undergoing elective urological surgery, controlled postoperative red wine intake did not improve 30-day quality of life compared with abstinence. Complications and blood parameters did not differ meaningfully. These findings do not support the initiation or promotion of alcohol use. This study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT05261620, registered on 02/20/2022. https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05261620 ).