Red wine and health
by Catherine Saxelby
A glass or two of red is proving to be good for you, as many wine buffs have long believed.
Red wine is held responsible for the so - called French Paradox - or why France has the second lowest rate of heart disease in the Western world (after Japan) when they indulge in butter, cream, pate and rich food. Could it be due to the large quantities of red wine the French enjoy?
The link between red wine and heart disease, which stemmed from cross-country comparisons back in the 1970s, has been confirmed by the World Health Organisation.
Countries like France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece, where wine is popular, have fewer deaths from heart disease than countries such as Finland, Ireland, the UK, Sweden and Australia, where beer and spirits predominate.
The Copenhagen City Heart Study, which followed the health of over 7000 men and 5000 women for twelve years, reported that moderate wine drinkers had half the risk of heart disease and stroke than those who never drank, while beer drinkers had a modest benefit but spirits very little.
What is it about wine that makes it so beneficial?
1. Wine is generally drunk with a meal, as in France, and biochemicals in food may offset any of the damage caused by excess alcohol. In contrast, beer and spirits are often consumed alone or with a salty, fatty snack.
2. Wine is also preferred by the better-educated and well-off, which in itself is a health advantage.
3. But it’s wine’s long list of polyphenol compounds that researchers believe confer its protective effect.
Over 50 phenolics have been identified in wine, including flavonoids and resveratrol, which are responsible for much of the colour and flavour of wines and for keeping it from going off during years of storage. But from your healths point of view, they:
* function as antioxidants and keep the bad cholesterol from being oxidised
* reduce any thickening of the arteries
* keep the blood unclogged and free-flowing (an effect similar to aspirin).
Red wine, made with the skins and seeds, has about ten times more of these natural chemicals than white wine.
One such grape substance, resveratrol, has attracted much attention.
Resveratrol is produced by the grape to help it fight off fungal infections and in studies from the University of Illinois, has been shown to inhibit tumour growth at three different stages of cancer, preventing the spread of malignant cells.
It too can minimise oxygen damage to tissues, reduce clumping of blood cells and may lower cholesterol.
But it’s not the only one. Other flavonoids such as quercetin, epicatechin and rutin have been tested and found to be even more powerful than resveratrol and are present in higher concentrations.
These heart-protecting substances are also found in grapes, other fruit, tea and onions. A much-quoted Dutch study reported that people who consumed large amounts of tea and onions had the lowest risk of heart problems.
Catherine Saxelby is an accredited nutritionist and author of 9 books including Nutrition for Life. For more tips and ideas, go to her website at www.foodwatch.com.au