Despite having diets rich in saturated fat, the citizens of France have a remarkably low incidence of coronary heart disease. This is known as the French Paradox.

There are many researchers who believe that the ingredients of wine in regions of France play a role in this paradox. In a recent article, I talked about an ingredient called reservatrol that is found in higher amounts in red wines. Reservatrol is very promising, but this may not explain the French paradox because reservatrol isn’t found in significant amounts in most wine. On the other hand, there is significant amounts of procyanidins in wine. They belong to a class of compounds called polyphenols that are found in plants are believed to protect blood-vessel cells. Interestingly enough, some of most procyanidin-rich wines are found in wine grapes found in South France.

Not surprisingly, it’s not as simple as drinking a few glasses of wine. French diets are rich in folic acid, their portion size are smaller, and the beautiful Mediterranean climate of Southern France leads to more aerobic activities like hiking and bike-riding. However, the moderate consumption of wine definitely helps explain the French paradox.

Stay tuned for more on this subject, especially since I’m now convinced to starting drinking more red wine.

Cheers!
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Like every article on the health benefits of alcohol, I must also stress that going beyond low amounts of alcohol on a regular basis is unhealthy for a very long list of reasons.

The consensus opinion for safe, moderate alcohol consumption is currently no more than 2 drinks of day for men and no more than 1 drink a day for women. If you have any health conditions, definitely consult your doctor. While taking nutritional supplements like grape seed extract isn’t nearly as fun as good-tasting wine, drinking wine for health reasons might not be a good idea for you.

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Posted by Tim Roth, author of the political blog Think Anew and Act Anew

Sources:
1. “Alcohol”, Harvard School of Public Health
2. “French paradox”, Wikipedia entry