The French Paradox and the Health Benefits of Red Wine

November 17, 1991. What was so special about this day then? Well, it was the day that the TV documentary program, “60 minutes” aired its program called “The French Paradox”.

This was the day that the world first learned of the health benefits of red wine. And to say that the program was watched is an understatement.

Within weeks of the program airing, sales of red wine jumped through the roof, and national sales for the following year rose a staggering 39%.

America had discovered what the French had known all along, that red wine in moderation everyday can help in the fight against heart disease. And this was the French paradox. The sedentary life styles of most of the French people coupled with their high fat diets, should ideally have led them to suffer from heart attacks and indeed France should have had a higher heart attack rate.

But the truth was that this just wasn’t the case. And the most likely culprit for such a low incidence rate of heart attacks was most likely the daily – moderate – consumption of red wines. Since at least one glass of wine is taken with just about every meal, there is a very real chance that the French paradox is true.

Don’t rush out and buy the nearest bottle of red wine though. Too much of anything is bad for you and the same holds true for red wines. Moderation is the key here, and unfortunately probably one of the most difficult things to practice when hanging around wine.

Moderation however, also tends to depend on where you’re living. In the America for instance, moderation for a woman is hailed as one glass for women, and one to two glasses for men. And maybe less if you’re planning on driving. In Europe and the United Kingdom however, moderation has a different meaning, with between two to three glasses of wine for a woman, and three to four glasses for a man.

The reasons for the French paradox to work, go along the lines that it can help blood pressure and cholesterol levels. It’s also been known to fight heart disease and certain types of cancer. Not everyone accepts that red wine in moderation every day has health benefits, and if you’re in doubt you should certainly consult your doctor, but other than that it surely can’t hurt too much, right?

Red wines have a number of different antioxidants in them that help towards preventing disease and protecting you against adverse ill-health conditions. So maybe just like an apple a day will keep the doctor away, a glass of red wine a day will also help protect you.