Leave it to the Brits to
solve a French puzzle...
The most famous of all Wine
& Health findings has to be the so-called
French Paradox. That is, how can you explain
France’s relatively low rate of deaths
from heart disease in light of its relatively
high fat diet (foie gras, cheese, cream,
butter, etc.)? The answer for a number
of years has seemed to be France’s
relatively high red wine consumption,
attributed to raising HDL levels ("good
cholesterol") and widening the diameter
of arteries.
Scientists from London’s
Queen Mary University have just released
preliminary findings that the polyphenols
in red wine may in fact slow down the
rate at which a certain peptide in the
blood stream, called endothelin-1, excessive
amounts of which can result in fatty artery-blocking
deposits.
Interestingly, white wines
and rosés did not affect the peptide rate.
Furthermore, the more polyphenols in the
red wine, the more dramatically the peptide
rate was slowed. The researchers tested
a number of red wine varietals (Merlot,
Pinot Noir, Shiraz, etc.), with the Cabernet
Sauvignon having the most effect.
The team of scientists plans
to continue to narrow down the particular
polyphenol that seems to be having the
effect, as well as conduct tests on humans.
So far, the experiments have been limited
to cultivated cow cells.
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