cardiac - What do the French know to help your heart?

What do the French know to help your heart?

by Dennis Miller

Does red wine protect against heart disease? Maybe. Many studies investigated the benefits of red wine suggested that moderate amount of red wine (one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men) lowers the risk of heart attack for people in middle age by 30 to 50 percent. It is also suggested that alcohol such as red wine may prevent additional heart attacks if you already have suffered from one. The compounds found in red wine that are responsible for its healing powers are antioxidants. Red wines contain several antioxidants beneficial to good health. Different antioxidants have different functions, but the key feature of all these antioxidants appears to be one of protection and prevention of disease.

Other studies also indicated that red wine can raise HDL cholesterol (the Good cholesterol) and prevent LDL cholesterol (the Bad cholesterol) from forming. Red wine may help prevent blood clots and reduce the blood vessel damage caused by fat deposits. Indeed, studies showed that

people from the Mediterranean region who regularly drank red wine have lower risks of heart disease.

Here is something very interesting. The French seem to know something about the health benefits of red wine. In a study that compared French and German red wines, the French red wines delivered a greater health benefit due to their higher level of antioxidants. This may partially account for the French paradox, where studies show that in areas of France where the diet is high in fat those who drink red wine with meals have a lower incidence of heart attack than other parts of the world. Due to vast differences in diets, the evidence is inconclusive, but experts believe that red wine contains certain compounds that help protect the heart. This has opened the door for other researchers to study the components in red wine that may be responsible for its health benefits.

Researchers at Northwestern University Medical School have found

that a chemical in red wine believed to help reduce risk for heart disease is a form of estrogen. The substance, resveratrol, is highly concentrated in the skin of grapes and is abundant in red wine. Resveratrol protects grapes and some other plants against fungal infections. It has been shown previously to have a number of potentially beneficial properties, including antioxidant, anticoagulant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects.

Should I start drinking more red wine now? The answer is no. Studies showed that alcohol drinking may increase triglycerides (another bad blood lipids) and result in weight gain due to its empty calories. Other studies also suggested that alcohol consumption is associated with cancer risk. The American Heart Association cautions people NOT to start drinking if they do not already drink alcohol.

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