Wine and Health

1991 was a banner year in the wine industry. Certainly not because of the vintage in Bordeaux, which was plagued by record Spring frosts and the never ending rain. Burgundy fared better, at least those vineyards spared by the devastating hail. No, it was not a the vintage in France that had wine merchants dancing in the streets, it was the health of the French people themselves. 1991 was the year that 60 Minutes ran the segment that would make "French Paradox" a household phrase.

The French are famous for the food they eat, and the wine they drink, and yet they have less than half the deaths from heart disease that we do in the US. The French diet is rich, full of fat, and completely contrary to what nutritionists are always trying to get us to eat (fad diets notwithstanding). It was the wine that had researchers scrambling. What was the magic ingredient in wine, especially red wine, that counteracted the French national diet? Words like Resveratrol and Quecetin were given credit for their antioxidant properties, but as the years passed and more researchers found that red wine is not the only alcoholic beverage that may have health benefits, it was recognized that Ethenol alcohol itself was the major medically active component of wine. Red wine may still have benefits over other forms of alcohol, but moderate drinking turns out not to be the evil some would have us believe.

I am about to cite statistics, and results of studies. Most of of this comes from "In Vino Sanitas?" by Harvey E. Finkel, M.D. a guide published by the Society of Wine Educators. Dr. Finkel has done an excellent job of listing his references.

• Those who drink wine moderately live longer than those who do not drink at all, and much longer than those that drink heavily.



• Moderate is defined as one or two glasses of wine per day (women are more susceptible to liver damage and so should drink less than men).



• Red wine in particular can reduce cardiac risk.



• Alcohol, in moderation seems to increase the liver's production of HDLs (good cholesterol) and red wine might work better than other alcoholic beverages.



• Antioxidants is the current buzz word used when talking about protecting the heart. Red wine, and to a lesser extend alcohol in general, seem to act as beneficial antioxidants.



• Wine may help to reduce blood clots, one of the components of a heart attack.



• Relaxed blood vessels is another benefit attributed to red wine and alcohol.



• The stress relieving aspects of wine should not be overlooked.

Notice that much of my wording is tentative. Such is the process of science, that one must remain skeptical until there can be no doubt. There is a great body of evidence that maintains that moderate drinking, especially of red wine, can be beneficial to your health. Most new research continues to reinforce this view, but the occasional study leans the other way. There is also the undeniable fact that excessive drinking is awful for your health.

Above all, the trick is moderate drinking. If you don't drink at all, you probably don't want to start, just to enjoy the health benefits, but that is between you and your physician. Which brings me to the disclaimer that I am not a physician, and I am not giving anything resembling medical advice.