An excerpt from the book, "Plain Talk about Fine Wine"
Scientific evidence strongly suggests that moderate consumption of wine is a vital part of reducing overall risk factors for various illnesses and of extending life. Recent research at Stanford University's Center for Research in Disease Prevention, published in the journal of the American Medical Association, showed an "association between moderate alcohol intake and reduce risk of coronary heart disease." This is dramatic evidence supporting the healthful impact of moderate wine consumption against heart disease and heart attacks, the leading killers in America. The reduction of heart disease through the moderate intake of wine is linked to the significant increase of high density lipoproteins (HDLs). HDLs evidently provide protection against the clogging of coronary arteries by removing cholesterol and other damaging fats that can build up inside artery walls, thereby narrowing the blood vessels. Research indicates that HDLs are increased with the moderate intake of wine and decreased by abstinence from wine.
It has also been shown that polyphenols (color pigment and tannins) reduce blood-cholesterol levels. Anthocyanins and phenolic acids are effective against bacteria and viruses.
Wine has successfully been used to improve appetite and promote digestion among anorexic patients, obese people who are trying to stay on diets and lose weight, have found wine effective in their diet, because it acts as an anxiety-relieving tranquilizer.
FRENCH RECONFIRM BENEFITS OF MODERATE WINE CONSUMPTION
A study of a large group in France, published in the March 1998 issue of Epidemiology, finds a significant reduction in all cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and all types of cancer among moderate wine drinking men. Furthermore, moderate drinkers showed no increase in liver cirrhosis. The study compared daily, moderate drinkers to non-drinkers / occasional drinkers and to heavy drinkers.
Dr. Serge C. Renaud and colleagues from INSRM Unit at the University of Bordeaux in France found that moderate wine consumption of up to 2-3 glasses a day was associated with:
- a 30% reduction in the death rate from all causes
- a 35% reduction in death rates from cardiovascular disease (CVD)
- an 18 - 24% reduction in death rates from cancer
"We conclude that a moderate intake of alcohol, mostly in the form of wine, seems to protect from coronary heart disease and cardiovascular diseases in general, but also from other causes." Serge C. Renaud, Epidemiology 1998.