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The Truth about Red
Wine and Heart Disease
What is so special about wine which makes the knight in shining
armor protecting the heart and perhaps other ailments too? How can
wine provide this protection, which other alcoholic beverages can
not provide?
Modern scientific research in areas like heart ailments, cancer
and the aging process has revealed that these conditions are
caused or triggered by a group of hazardous chemicals calls free
radicals. They are usually on the prowl and attack healthy cells
by means of a process called oxidation. In this battle scene,
there is a group of good Samaritans who pounce on the attackers
and subsequently destroy them. These brave and courageous souls
are called anti-oxidants.
With no intention of confusing you with medical or technical
jargon, let me just narrate the simple thing to understand here.
Oxidation process is one of the most vital processes in the body
as it allows us to obtain energy from our foods. But when the
number of free radicals is excessive, it can be dangerous.
Thankfully, our body has its own defense mechanism in place in the
form of enzymes which can turn the harmful invaders into water.
But then at times this defense system can not cope with the power
of the invasion. Of course, there are many external situations
which trigger the proliferation of free radicals in our bodies
like x-rays, smoking or exposure to toxic substances. In these
situations our defense mechanisms take a back seat as free
radicals have an overpowering presence. We then become victims of
radiation sickness, etc.
So what is the link between oxidation and free radicals and heart
disease?
There are situations when low density lipoproteins, also called
‘bad’ LDL collect in the inner walls of our arteries and form
fatty streaks and plaques. Left alone LDL is not that harmful, but
when attacked by the plethora of free radicals, they turn harmful
and penetrate through the softer inner walls of the arteries. This
is basically called oxidation and oxidized LDL is responsible for
causing atherosclerosis, heart disease and stroke.
Anti-oxidants, live up to their name and can retard or stop the
oxidation process which are caused by free radicals. While most
research has been done on anti-oxidants on vitamin A, E, beta
carotene, a lot of research has also been done on the good effects
of red wine. Though most research on red wine has been centered on
its benefits for the heart, subsequent findings tell us that its
benefits go beyond the heart.
Red wine and Coronary Heart Disease
The first thing you ought to know about red wine is that it is
composed of a range of flavanoids. These are essentially chemicals
which lend the red wine its typical taste and character which
differentiates one from the other. Interestingly many of these
flavanoids behave like anti-oxidants. According to a French
research who was a pioneer in wine research, and who discovered
the French Paradox, wine was the single most important reason why
the people of south France survived despite their fat-rich diets
and subsequently coronary disease. Amazing but true, that these
people have voluminous quantities of cheese pate and salami – yet
have some of the lowest rates of heart ailments in the world.
Another study was more statistically important than for practical
purposes was done by a Prof. Grey of the University of Bern in
Switzerland who concentrated on the low, medium and high coronary
heart disease or CHD as provided by the World Health Organization
or WHO. His finding was that the high mortality areas were Finland
and Scotland, the middle mortality area was Ireland and the low
CHD areas were Spain, Italy and France. The researcher
subsequently compared the heart attack rates with the antioxidant
levels in the blood from samples taken from men residing in those
areas.
Vitamin E and Heart Disease
Prof. Grey’s findings were interesting indeed. He found that high
concentration of antioxidants, especially vitamin E, matched with
low death rates caused by heart diseases. He even found that
vitamin E levels gave 94% more accurate predictions of CHD than
the predictions which are derived at from cholesterol levels or
blood pressure figures. People from the high CHD areas drink very
little wine whereas people from low CHD areas drink it nearly with
every meal they have.
Strangely two cities – Glasgow in Scotland and Toulouse in France
have many differences as well as many similarities. People of both
these areas, consume enormous amounts of fatty food, do little
exercise and drink alcohol. The difference is Glasgow is among the
highest CHD concentrations in the world and Toulouse is one of the
lowest. While Glasgow people drink beer and spirits, people in
Toulouse believe in red wine.
It has now an established fact that drinking in moderation with
meals is not harmful but overt consumption of alcohol at pubs, etc
can be very harmful. The fact is people of south Europe usually
take a drink which is merely an accompaniment to their meals.
There was a time when authority institutions like American College
of Cardiology and the American Heart Association did not take
antioxidants and the beneficial role of wine too seriously. It is
perhaps due to the fact that it is rather embarrassing for a
doctor to advise his patient to start on alcohol, though it is
difficult to understand why they feigned innocence so long when
the research findings were available. Presently, even if they do
not advocate the use of vitamin pills, they certainly acknowledge
the role of antioxidants and free radicals. According to AHA,
"There is no scientific proof that drinking wine or any other
alcoholic beverage can replace conventional measures. No direct
comparison trials have been done to determine the specific effect
of wine or other alcohol on the risk of developing heart disease
or stroke.” The relevant question here is who will sponsor the
research on the benefits of red wine? The objective of clinical
trials is to find out which therapy is superior to the other. The
cost of holding a clinical trial is prohibitive and only the
pharmaceutical industry has the money power to sponsor such a
research.
Original Article
Source:
http://www.medicalneeds.com |
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