Fiona Kirk

www.fionakirk.com

Imagine the scene. You are a red wine producer who has been grafting away diligently for years to increase sales, get your marketing right, keep your prices down and cope with the fickleness of the weather which, whilst totally out with your control, can seriously jeopardise your annual harvest and your potential profit. Then all of a sudden the sun comes out – BIG TIME - in the form of Morley Safer on the 60 Minutes programme on CBS in 1991. Eureka! 33 million Americans listen avidly while he reports “if you are a middle-aged American man, your chances of dying of a heart attack are three times greater than a Frenchman of the same age. Obviously, they're doing something right - something Americans are not doing. Now it's all but confirmed. Alcohol, in particular red wine, reduces the risk of heart disease”.

The French Paradox, as it was coined by Dr Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University, was suddenly BIG news. Despite their penchant for buttery croissants, runny cheeses and sweet pastries it appears that Jean Claude’s risk of a heart attack is a third of Big Joe’s and it is all down to Jean Claude’s daily consumption of red wine! Within 4 weeks, US sales of red wine rocketed by 44% and by early 1992 a Gallup poll showed that 58% of Americans were happily quoting the link between moderate drinking and lower rates of heart disease. Moreover, when the segment was re-broadcast a few months after the poll, red wine sales shot up 49% over the previous year!

So what’s the reasoning behind this claim and where’s the evidence? Countless studies have indicated that moderate amounts of alcohol raise levels of ‘good’ cholesterol (HDLs) and higher HDL levels are associated with greater protection against heart disease (1),(2),(3). Moderate alcohol consumption has also been linked with beneficial changes ranging from better sensitivity to insulin (4),(5),(6) to improvements in factors that influence blood clotting (7),(8),(9). Such changes could prevent the formation of small blood clots that can block arteries in the heart, neck and brain, the ultimate cause of many heart attacks and strokes.

Then came more good news for our red wine producer. Resveratrol. A flavonoid (substance found in plants, concentrated in the outer skin and core which defend the plant and its DNA against external threats) which targets blood vessels and once there, protects the connective tissue in the artery walls by exerting a powerful anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-permeability effect.

There is evidence (10),(11),(12) that consumption of two to four glasses of red wine a day reduces the risk of a heart attack by up to an astonishing 32% due to the protective combination of the alcohol and the resveratrol (and a few other flavonoids therein). Music to the ears of all who are partial to the occasional glass or two! And whilst the resveratrol in red wine has earned the most research, white wine is not far behind thanks to its richness in other protective flavonoids.

So can the odd tipple feature in a healthy diet? In many cases, yes. If you are in good health and eating a diet rich in essential nutrients from carbohydrates for energy (fresh vegetables and fruit, whole grains, beans, lentils), proteins for building and repair (lean meat, game, poultry, fish, dairy products and their alternatives, eggs, nuts, seeds and soya products), essential fats for cell health and communication (oily fish, seeds and nuts and their oils and butters, avocados) and micronutrients for protection (vegetables, fruits, herbs, sprouted beans and seeds) and of course plenty of hydrating drinks (water, water and more water, fruit and herb teas, fresh fruit and vegetable juices and smoothies) and exercising regularly (30 mins per day) there is strong evidence that the health and social benefits of moderate drinking are yours to enjoy.

 

References:

 

  1. Ross R. Atherosclerosis--an inflammatory disease. N Engl J Med. 1999;340(2):115-126

  2. Rader DJ. Regulation of reverse cholesterol transport and clinical implications. Am J Cardiol. 2003;92(4A):42J-49J

  3. Rimm EB, Williams P, Fosher K, Criqui M, Stampfer MJ. Moderate alcohol intake and lower risk of coronary heart disease: meta-analysis of effects on lipids and haemostatic factors. BMJ. 1999;319(7224):1523-1528

  4. Meyer KA, Conigrave KM, Chu NF, et al. Alcohol consumption patterns and HbA1c, C-peptide and insulin concentrations in men. J Am Coll Nutr. 2003;22(3):185-194

  5. Kenkre PV, Lindeman RD, Lillian Yau C, Baumgartner RN, Garry PJ. Serum insulin concentrations in daily drinkers compared with abstainers in the New Mexico elder health survey. J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2003;58(10):M960-963

  6. Greenfield JR, Samaras K, Jenkins AB, Kelly PJ, Spector TD, Campbell LV. Moderate alcohol consumption, estrogen replacement therapy, and physical activity are associated with increased insulin sensitivity: is abdominal adiposity the mediator? Diabetes Care. 2003;26(10):2734-2740

  7. Sierksma A, van der Gaag MS, Kluft C, Hendriks HF. Moderate alcohol consumption reduces plasma C-reactive protein and fibrinogen levels; a randomized, diet-controlled intervention study. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2002;56(11):1130-1136

  8. Albert MA, Glynn RJ, Ridker PM. Alcohol consumption and plasma concentration of C-reactive protein. Circulation. 2003;107(3):443-447

  9. Imhof A, Froehlich M, Brenner H, Boeing H, Pepys MB, Koenig W. Effect of alcohol consumption on systemic markers of inflammation. Lancet. 2001;357(9258):763-767

  10. Mukamal KJ, Conigrave KM, Mittleman MA, et al. Roles of drinking pattern and type of alcohol consumed in coronary heart disease in men. N Engl J Med. 2003;348(2):109-118

  11. German JB, Walzem RL. The health benefits of wine. Annu Rev Nutr. 2000;20:561-593

  12. Pace-Asciak CR, Hahn S, Diamandis EP, Soleas G, Goldberg DM. The red wine phenolics trans-resveratrol and quercetin block human platelet aggregation and eicosanoid synthesis: implications for protection against coronary heart disease. Clin Chim Acta. 1995;235(2):207-219