French paradox
From Free net encyclopedia
The French paradox refers to the fact that people in France suffer relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite their diet being rich in saturated fats. The phenomenon was first noted by Irish physician Samuel Black in 1819.
According to FAO data[1], the average French person consumed 108 grams per day of fat from animal sources in 2002 while the average American consumed only 72, a difference of 50 percent. The French eat four times as much butter, 60 percent more cheese and nearly three times as much pork. Although the French consume only slightly more total fat (171 g/d vs 157), they consume much more saturated fat because Americans consume a much larger proportion of fat in the form of vegetable oil and most of that as soybean oil[2]. However, according to data from the British Heart foundation [3], in 1999, rates of death from coronary heart disease among males aged 35-74 years was 230 per 100,000 people in the US but only 83 per 100,000 in France.
It has been suggested that France's high red wine consumption is a primary factor in the trend. This theory was expounded in a 60 Minutes broadcast in 1992. The program catalysed a large increase in North American demand for red wines from around the world. It is believed that one of the active ingredients in red wine is resveratrol.
Resveratrol and other grape compounds have been positively linked to fighting cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease, and other ailments. Although many people wrongly assume that red grapes have the most health benefits, the fact is that grapes of all colors have comparable benefits. Red wine has health benefits not found in white wine because many of these compounds are found in the skins of the grapes and only red wine is fermented with the skins.
The first scientific study of the relationship between alcohol consumption and atherosclerosis was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 1904. The first epidemiological study to report that moderate drinkers exhibit greater longevity than abstainers or heavy drinkers was published in 1926 by Raymond Pearl. Hundreds of studies have followed in recent decades.
There is a lack of medical consensus about whether moderate consumption of beer, wine, or distilled spirits has a stronger association with longevity. Of ten major studies, one-third found stronger evidence for wine, one-third for beer, one-third for liquor, and one study found no difference between alcoholic beverages. Most researchers now believe that the most important ingredient is the alcohol itself.
The major cause of death in the U.S. is heart disease and most research finds that moderate consumption of alcohol reduces coronary fatalities in the range of 40% to 60%. The mechanisms by which alcohol reduces coronary events are becoming increasingly documented. Research has found that alcohol improves blood lipid profile (increases HDL and reduces LDL), decreases thrombosis (reduces platelet aggregation, reduces fibrinogen and increases fibrinolysis), reduces blood pressure, increases coronary blood flow, and reduces blood insulin levels.
Nevertheless, the medical causes of the French paradox are still not entirely clear and research continues.
Note
The French paradox is often confused with the related but different notion of the Mediterranean diet.
Sources
- Cabot, R. C. The relation of alcohol to atherioscleroisis. Journal of the American Medical Association, 1904, 43, 774-775.
- Ellison, R. C. Does Moderate Alcohol Consumption Prolong Life? NY: American Council on Science and Health, 1993.
- Hennekens, C. H. Alcohol and Risk of Coronary Events. In: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol and the Cardiovascular System. Washington, DC: United States Department of Health and Human Services, 1996.
- Pearl, Raymond. Alcohol and Longevity. NY: Knopf, 1926.
- Perdue, W. Lewis, et al. the French Paradox and Beyond. Sonoma, CA: Renaissance, 1993.
- Alcohol and Health by David J. Hanson.es:paradoja francesa