| Red Wine, Heart Disease, Hungry Sharks and | | | | eat large quantities of high fat cheese, |
| Knights in Shining Armor | | | | pâté, and salami they have some of |
| What is so special about wine? What is it that | | | | the lowest rates of heart disease in the world. |
| makes it potentially more protective against | | | | Another study, statistical rather than practical, by |
| coronary heart disease, and perhaps other | | | | a Professor Grey of the University of Bern in |
| diseases, that other forms of alcohol? | | | | Switzerland focused on the low, medium and high |
| In recent years, scientists have concluded without | | | | coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality figures of |
| doubt that many human diseases such as heart | | | | the World Health Organization. |
| disease, cancer and the aging process is caused | | | | What did he find? Well from among the high |
| or stimulated by a ravenous group of chemicals | | | | mortality areas were Finland and Scotland, the |
| called free radicals. These highly charged little | | | | middle areas included Ireland, and the low CHD |
| villains prowl the body and attack healthy cell | | | | areas included Spain, Italy and France. He then |
| membranes through a process that is called | | | | compared heart attack rates with antioxidant |
| oxidation. In this scenario, there is however a | | | | levels in blood samples taken from men living in |
| knight in shining armor that jumps to the rescue | | | | those areas. |
| and purges these ever hungry little killers. The | | | | What he found was very interesting, the results |
| name of our crusader is antioxidants. | | | | showed that high antioxidant levels, in particular |
| Without getting too technical, the oxidation | | | | vitamin E, coincided with low death rates of heart |
| process in our bodies is crucial for health, without | | | | disease. Moreover, his results showed that vitamin |
| it, for instance, we would not be able to extract | | | | E levels were 94% more accurate in predicting |
| energy from our food. But if there are too many | | | | CHD rates than were cholesterol levels or blood |
| free radicals in our bodies this can be harmful. | | | | pressure figures! Apart from diet, the high CHD |
| Our body has its own defenses against free | | | | regions drink very little, if any wine, whereas the |
| radicals, in the form of enzymes that are able to | | | | low regions traditionally accompany their meals |
| turn the hungry little sharks into harmless water. | | | | most days with wine. |
| However, sometimes our body's natural defense | | | | It certainly seems strange that two much studied |
| mechanisms can't cope. Other times, external | | | | cities; Glasgow in Scotland and Toulouse in France |
| events can cause huge increases of free radicals | | | | show many similarities and yet many differences. |
| within our bodies, such as x-rays, cigarette smoke | | | | The inhabitants of both cities eat tremendous |
| and exposure to toxic substances. At times, this | | | | amounts of high fat foods, traditionally take little |
| surge of free radicals can swamp our defenses | | | | exercise and drink alcohol. The surprising |
| and illnesses such as radiation sickness may take | | | | difference is that while the people of Glasgow |
| place. | | | | have one of the highest rates of CHD in the |
| So what does all this have to do with heart | | | | world, the fortunate people of Toulouse have one |
| disease? | | | | of the lowest. Traditionally beer and spirits are the |
| Low density lipoproteins, commonly know as | | | | preferred drinks in Glasgow, while the folks in |
| "bad" LDL, can penetrate and gather against the | | | | Toulouse drink red wine. |
| inner walls of our arteries, under certain conditions, | | | | It has also been suggested that drinking in |
| forming fatty streaks and plaque. Taken alone, | | | | moderation together with meals is beneficial, while |
| LDL particles aren't so dangerous it seems, | | | | binge drinking at bars in the evening is harmful. It |
| however, when attacked by free radicals they | | | | seems the southern Europeans don't drink for the |
| turn into dangerous and somewhat aggressive | | | | alcohol buzz, but just as a pleasant |
| cells, capable of actually penetrating and harming | | | | accompaniment to their meals. |
| the smooth inner walls of our arteries. This | | | | At first the large heart institutions such as the |
| process is called oxidation. Oxidized LDL is known | | | | American College of Cardiology and the American |
| to be the culprit in stimulating atherosclerosis, | | | | Heart Association ignored both antioxidants and |
| heart disease and stroke. | | | | frowned upon wine. While it is clear that it could |
| Antioxidants, as the name suggests (anti-oxidants) | | | | be potentially dangerous for a physician to |
| can help stop the oxidation process, which are the | | | | recommend his patients start drinking alcohol, it is |
| results of free radicals doing their stuff. Most | | | | also strange that they pretended for so many |
| antioxidant research has been carried out on | | | | years to ignore the evidence. Well, now even if |
| vitamins (A, E, beta carotene) but quite a lot of | | | | they don't promote the taking of vitamin pills; |
| work has also been done on the healthy benefits | | | | antioxidants and free radicals are now recognized. |
| of red wine. While most research on red wine has | | | | However, according to the AHA "There is no |
| been done in relation to coronary heart disease, it | | | | scientific proof that drinking wine or any other |
| seems that the benefits of wine don't stop there. | | | | alcoholic beverage can replace conventional |
| Red wine and Coronary Heart Disease | | | | measures ... No direct comparison trials have been |
| Red wine contains a wide range of flavanoids; | | | | done to determine the specific effect of wine or |
| these are the chemicals that give the wine its | | | | other alcohol on the risk of developing heart |
| particular taste and character, making one | | | | disease or stroke." Just ask yourself who would |
| different from another. Many of these flavanoids | | | | pay for such studies. Clinical Trials have the |
| act like antioxidants. Perhaps the forerunner of | | | | purpose of showing one thing to be better than |
| wine research was carried out by a certain Serge | | | | another, or whether a certain substance is |
| Renaud, who discovered the French Paradox, | | | | beneficial to health. The costs of clinical trials is so |
| which suggested that wine was the decisive | | | | high that only the pharmaceutical industry have |
| factor in protecting the people in southern France | | | | the financial clout to invest in them - invest is the |
| from their very high fat diets and ultimately | | | | correct word. What a surprise. |
| coronary heart disease. Even if these people do | | | | |