It's an odd situation. The average French diet is higher in both saturated and total fat consumption than that of the average American and contains drastically greater amounts of cholesterol-rich butter and pork. It would only seem that logical that the French would be keeling over left and right from heart disease. Unfortunately, we're not that lucky.
You see, the French benefit from a phenomenon known as the French Paradox. Despite their indulgence in these forbidden foods, France's citizens suffer from far less incidents of heart disease. It doesn't really seem fair. But what could be the cause of it? Many believe it could be wine, which is a prevalent part of the French diet. Research has shown that wine contains several compounds that could be beneficial to heart health. Red wines are rich in tannins, which inhibit the production of peptides associated with arterial plaque. Furthermore, they contain resveratrol, a compound associated with preventing both heart disease and cancer.
Other studies have even suggested that it might actually be the alcohol that helps. Light alcohol consumption(1-2 drinks a day) has been shown to increase high density lipids. Furthermore, the fact that alcohol acts as a blood thinner can help protect men and women over the age of 40 from heart attacks and strokes.
All you alcoholics, however, shouldn't get too excited just yet. Heavy drinking still carries with it all of the malign effects that it always has. The medical community cites numerous detrimental effects of binge drinking, including severe liver complications, an increased risk of coronary heart disease, and waking up at a laundromat on North Decatur Rd. with no pants on. Research is still pending as to the whereabouts of the pants.
Though research is far from conclusive on the subject, it's still a nice thought that light drinking could help your health. So, bottoms up, everybody. Who knows, it might help save your life one day.
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2 comments:
Wow, that's very interesting! I knew that the British were far healthier than us, and I'd like to think that it's because of their bland and flavorless food. Do you know which one has more health benefits - red or white wine? I read somewhere about a study that claimed that wine (don't know which kind) helped to reduce kidney stones in women. That's interesting.
That was a really good post Doug. Your mention about tannins I found to be most interesting. In my environmental science class many of the poisonous foods that occur in the wild are usually poisonous because of the high tannin or alkaloid content. So that is interesting that low concentrations of tannins can actually be helpful. Anyways, I enjoyed reading your post, cheers.
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