The French-Mediterranean Paradox

   Ancel Keys first drew the scientific world's attention to the significant advantages of Mediterranean-type eating and drinking habits.
In fact people around the Mediterranean are much less subject to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, obesity and osteoporosis than those of northern Europe (Epidemiological Study by the World Health Organisation).
The Mediterranean diet is particularly rich in fruit and vegetables, low in calories, but with a high micro-nutrient intake (vitamins, trace minerals, wine polyphenols).

Polyphenols  


   Polyphenols are molecules peculiar to plants. Their presence protects plants against pathogens and helps in reproduction and the survival of the species. They give flavour (astringency) and colour (anthocyanins), and play an important role in wine's organoleptic qualities.

The Nancy study covering a sample of 34,014, published by Serge Renaud in the review, Epidemiology, in March 1998 found that:

• A daily consumption of two to five glasses of wine per day leads to a 40% reduction in the risk of cardiovascular disease

• A consumption of one to three glasses of wine per day reduces cancers by 20% and mortality from all causes by 30%.

Amongst beverages, red wine is one of the richest in polyphenols. Wine's particular contribution is that it enables us to absorb large quantities of polyphenols; any other food product that is as rich in tannin would be rejected for its excessive astringency.
   The phenol components are preserved in wine, and provide an anti-oxidising protection that helps us resist cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The consumption of wine tends to reduce the risk of cancer of the digestive tube.