Ah, the French... We are so intrigued by their simple, yet mysterious ways...their exquisite cuisine, their sexy cafe culture, their aloof allure. We watch as they savor for hours their prize-winning wines and fat-filled sauces...wines and sauces so delicious, surely they're heaven-sent. Then, to make matters worse, we watch as the French are known for trim waistlines, long life spans—and despite their unhealthy intake of saturated fat—the French have an overall lower rate of heart disease!!! The audacity! How dare they!! How do they do this? More importantly... How can WE do it too?
Recent research tells us that in spite of those sinful sauces, there is something very special going on inside that delectable bottle of red wine, something very special indeed. It's called resveratrol. Scientists have found that resveratrol is the magic bullet that offers these amazing health benefits, without the cost of going to France!
While wine is one of the great and civilized pleasures of the world, a symbol of friendship, good living and romance, doctors are wary of encouraging people to drink wine because too much alcohol can bring with it a host of harmful effects. In spite of this caution, doctors do agree that red wine appears to contain an abundance of this amazing substance.
Resveratrol in red wine comes from the skin of grapes used to make the wine; and because red wine is fermented with grape skins longer than white wine, the red wines contain more resveratrol. It has been suggested that eating grapes or drinking grape juice are ways to get resveratrol without drinking alcohol. Some studies suggest that red and purple grape juices carry some of the same heart-healthy benefits of red wine. Other foods that contain some resveratrol include peanuts, blueberries and cranberries. Scientists have yet to determine how beneficial eating grapes or other foods might be compared with drinking red wine when it comes to promoting heart health, and the amount of resveratrol in food and red wine can vary widely, and there can be regional variations as well. In general, wines made from grapes of the Pinot Noir and St. Laurent varieties seemed to show the highest level of resveratrol, while no particular wine or region can yet claim to produce wines with a significantly higher resveratrol concentration than any other. Interestingly, while blueberries have about twice as much resveratrol as bilberries, cooking or heat processing of these berries can reduce the amount of resveratrol by half.
Resveratrol isn't the only substance in red wine that shows promise, since the alcohol itself appears to be heart healthy. Various studies indicate that moderate amounts of all types of alcohol can benefit your heart by raising the high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, the "good cholesterol;" inhibiting the formation of blood clots; and helping to prevent artery damage caused by high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the "bad cholesterol."
Red wine in particular seems to have even more heart-healthy benefits than other types of alcohol. Studies suggest antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols help protect the lining of blood vessels in your heart. These antioxidants come in two main forms: flavonoids and nonflavonoids.
|
Flavonoids. These antioxidants are found in a variety of foods, including oranges, apples, onions, tea and cocoa. While white wine and beer contain small amounts, red wine appears to have higher levels. |
|
Nonflavonoids. These antioxidants found in red wine appear to help prevent arteries from becoming clogged with fatty blockages. Resveratrol is the nonflavonoid that researchers are most interested in. |
Researchers now believe that resveratrol may be the key ingredient in red wine that offers amazing health benefits, helping to prevent damage to blood vessels, reducing bad cholesterol and helping to prevent blood clots. Research in mice given resveratrol showed that the antioxidant in resveratrol might also offer protection from obesity and diabetes, strong risk factors for heart disease.
Wait a minute--were these mice French?
Now, to achieve the dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies, a person would have to consume about 100 to 1,000 bottles of red wine—a day. Well, luckily for us, our trusty American ingenuity has outsmarted these numbers and has taken resveratrol, the powerful life-enhancing essence from red wine, and placed it conveniently into an easy-to-take supplement that can help you to achieve these same heart-healthy benefits.
People around the globe have enjoyed wine for thousands of years. How fantastic that something so old and treasured by mankind turns out to provide one of the most potent health benefits under the sun. Perhaps this helps to reveal some of the logic behind what they call the "French paradox..." —how the incidence of coronary heart disease is relatively low in France, despite their high dietary intake of saturated fats.
Might we pause to consider that perhaps the French may be enjoying a slower pace of life? And that this slower pace may also contribute to their longevity and reputation for their joy of living—their joie de vivre? Compare the laid-back French lifestyle to our hurry-up, fast-food, fast-paced American lifestyle. The French eat their meals slowly, perhaps chewing their food more thoroughly, usually dining with family and friends. Could they be helping to reduce their stress, while in the process nurturing their network of family and friends? Could these factors also contribute to their overall health and happiness?
Maybe there’s a lot more we can learn from the French, no?
Bon Appetite!
Cindy Gray
Guest Heath Writer
Author of The Spirit of Health