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Red Wine: Lost in a “French Paradox”A Position Paper for the Moderate Wine ConsumerNicole NugentSpring 2005A Paper for (Time Magazine)A recent trend that moderate red wine consumption is beneficial to health has become widely accepted and even more focused on in the research field. The ‘French paradox’, popularized by Renaud and Lorgeril in the 1990s is responsible for this recent curiosity. It revealed that while France is traditionally one of the highest consumers of saturated fats and cholesterol, (Table 1) it has one of the lowest rates of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) and mortality (table 2).1 Red wine is accountable for such trends because it is consumed in the highest abundance in France (Table 3), and it was first thought that the alcoholic (ethanol) components were responsible for such findings. Recent studies have focused more specifically on red wine because it holds a special group of natural ingredients found in grapes called, polyphenols.2 These are not found in other beverages containing the same ethanol components. While they have been known to be beneficial in their antioxidant abilities which reduce premature aging and disease, many studies have tried to target one specific polyphenol, mainly catechin, as being responsible for driving mechanisms that 1reduce risk factors for disease, especially CHD.3 With respect to the ‘French paradox’, thequestion remains, is catechin primarily responsible for the mechanisms involved in reducing CHD or do they collectively contribute aiding CHD health? In many studies, polyphenols have been found to have antioxidant properties that participate in two mechanisms associated with risk factors for CHD. They contribute to reducing heart disease by preventing a chemical reaction (oxidation) of bad cholesterol (LDL), which stops formation of a substance on the walls of the vessels leading to the heart called, plaque.4 This process called LDL oxidation reduces CHD risk because polyphenols strengthen the ability for the heart to function adequately to the body’s needs. If plaque forms, platelets from the blood stick to it and eventually cause blood clots, which further blocks blood flow to the arteries and the heart. This is called platelet aggregation and is another mechanism polyphenols inhibit, which decreases CHD risk.5 2TABLE 1: COMPARISON OF MEDITERRANEAN DIET VS. THE FRENCH DIETCOUNTRY OLIVE OIL BUTTER BEEF FISH FRUITLEGUMES/VEGETABLESFRANCE N/A 174 169 43 73 74SPAIN 264 8 67 81 89 87ITALY 271 49 151 28 108 101GREECE 472 39 96 14 143 136NUMBERS BASED ON CALORIES PER DAY PER PERSON, SHOULD BE CONSIDERED APPROXIMATIONSN/A DATA SHOULD BE NOTED AS AN INSIGNIFCANT AMOUNT, NOT AS ZEROTABLE 3: RED WINE CONSUMPTION IN SOUTHERN EUROPEFRANCE 195ITALY 144SPAIN 129GREECE 84BASED ON g/day PER PERSON TABLE 2: CHANCES (PER 1000)OFDYING FROM HEART DISEASE, AT AGE 65COUNTRY MEN WOMENUK 311 279ITALY 269 296SPAIN 224 276GREECE 325 347FRANCE 220 245DATA TAKEN FROM 116 OR 1997 FROM WHOSIS DATABASESince both of these mechanisms are so closely related in terms of their effect on risk for CHD, the focus must now be on whether catechin or all of these phenolic components combined aid in reducing the latter two mechanisms. Since the United States tragically tops the list of having the highest rate of CHD with approximately 500,000 deaths each year (American Heart Association) and falls to the bottom as consumer of red wine compared to Europe, perhaps proof of such benefits, through phenolic interaction could help reduce America’s epidemic. Studies that have found beneficial effects from polyphenolic sources have emphasized identifying a single polyphenol, like catechin.6 The likelihood that a single polyphenol can independently drive any CHD- reducing mechanism is weakened by the fact that most of these studies required a minimum concentration of the polyphenol far greater than what is realistically consumed in the average diet, or in red wine itself (Table 4).7 Therefore, it is my intention to show that all of the main polyphenols found in red wine must collectively participate in order to drive the latter two mechanisms to reduce risk factors for CHD. 3TABLE 4: CATECHIN LEVELS IN GRAPES AFTER WINE PRODUCTIONTYPES OF RED WINE CATECHINS TYPES OF WHITE WINE CATECHINSPINOT-NOIR 1165 GENACHE-NOIR 173MERLOT 601 WHITE CRENACHE 144CABERNET-SAUVIGNON 344 CARIGNANE 94Catechin amount in mg/kg reported by Bourzeix et al.Table indicates the importance of red wine vs. white wine inwine-making process because each type produces differentlevels of flavonols. Emphases why red wine is main focus of argument.It is imperative to understand the contributions each internal component gives to drive the mechanisms for reducing CHD in order to show that catechin cannot render the same benefits alone. Polyphenols are found in the grape skin and seeds of red wine that are increased in concentration after the wine aging process.8 These are, resveratrol, catechin, quercetin, and proanthocyanidins (PCO). Each of these is specified because numerous studies have tested their abilities as antioxidants because they are also found in other energy sources, mainly fruits and vegetables.3 One study that contributes to the importance of polyphenols working together tested the effectiveness on their platelet aggregation mechanism.8 They first tested the polyphenols individually and then in combination, along with the addition of an enzyme blend that helped reduce uncertainties. He separated them out by where they are found within the grape, either within the skin or the seed. Resveratrol, makes up the skin component as it contains 50-100 micrograms per gram in fresh grapes, and within red wine contains 1.5-3 milligrams per liter. Both PCO and catechin are the most powerful antioxidants within the seeds and have been known to inhibit platelet aggregation individually. Results showed that when tested alone on human platelets, each component only inhibited platelet aggregation 3.5% and when combined, reduced it by 10.1% (Figure 1). 4Platelet Aggregation based on Grape Skin and Seed Extracts020406080100120GrapeSeed GrapeSkinGrapeSkin +GrapeSeedExtract Preparations% Baseline Platelet AggregationGrape Seed Grape SkinGrape Skin + GrapeSeedThe hypothesis was also tested on seven dogs that were fed extracts from the grape skin and seed individually and then in combination. Alone, there was no significance, but together, they inhibited aggregation by 7.1%. This increased to 8.1% with


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CU-Boulder IPHY 3700 - Red Wine

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