| Wine
is good for your health! Researchers have found a relationship
between drinking wine, in moderation, and good health. Moderate
consumption means one to two glasses of 10 grams per day.
Visit Alcohol in Moderation at www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/moderate/articles/moderat.htm
for more information.
The
French Paradox
The
term, “French Paradox," became famous in 1991 on
a CBS 60 Minutes report which said that, despite a diet of
rich foods like butter, cheese and cream, a higher
percentage of caloric intake from saturated fats and a less
active lifestyle, the rate of heart disease among French people
is among the lowest in the world.
Why?
The French drink red wine regularly with their meals. This
is apparently a factor in preventing and protecting against
heart disease. How? The polyphenols in red wine alter the
blood lipid levels, lowers the total cholesterol count and
raises the high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. This keeps
the blood vessels clean.
Dr.
Curtis Ellison (Chief of Preventative Medicine and Epidemiology
at Boston University School of Medicine, and Director of the
Institute on Lifestyle and Health at Boston University School
of Medicine) was one of the researchers who participated in
the 60 Minutes program. He and fellow scientist Dr. Serge
Renaud of Lyon, France, provided original research data to
show the benefits of moderate wine drinking and health. There
have subsequently been hundreds of follow-up studies that
demonstrate this relationship.
The
French Paradox Revisited
News
anchor Morley Safer updated his original segment and reported
on an extensive new Danish study that found a strong association
between moderate wine consumption and decreased mortality.
The new report also re-confirmed the association between wine
and health, with noted scientists explaining that the amount
of supporting data has dramatically increased in the past
few years. Read more at http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1200/is_n13_v149/ai_18180013.
Elisabeth
Holmgren, Director of the Department of Research and Education
at the U.S.-based Wine Institute, reports on the findings related to alcohol at http://www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/heart/articles/recent%20findings.pdf.
She
is responsible for developing and managing public policy,
research and education programs related to the wide variety
of health and social issues that impact the wine industry.
Wine
& Heart Health Redux
Dr.
Michel de Lorgeril of the Université Joseph Fourier
in Grenoble, France, and his colleagues conducted a study
which concluded that men who survive a heart attack and who
drink 2-4 glasses of wine per day are less likely to experience
a second heart attack than men who abstain from drinking.
The study, reported in Circulation: Journal of the American
Heart Association 2002; 106, can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2232934.stm
Wine
& Cancer
According
to a Reuters Health report released on July 9, 2002, recent
research from Spain has shown that five polyphenols (antioxidants
found in red wine, tea and some vegetables and fruits) inhibit
prostate cancer cell growth. The study may help explain why
the incidence of this disease is lower in Mediterranean countries
where consumption of red wines and other foods containing
polyphenols is higher.
Wine & Other Diseases
Other
beneficial effects of moderate wine drinking versus abstention
have been reported in scientific journals around the world.
Some of these positive effects include:
-
An increase in bone mineral density and reduced risk of
osteoporosis, and related fractures
-
Lower incidence of gall bladder disease and kidney stones
- Lowers
rates of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia
-
Reduced risk of infection from many types of bacteria and
viruses
-
Longer life expectancy
For an
article on this topic, visit
www.aim-digest.com/gateway/pages/moderate/articles/reluctant.htm |
