Does wine consumption explain the French paradox?

Epidemiological evidence confirms that moderate intake of alcohol reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease. Although regular consumption of any type of alcoholic beverage appears to confer health benefits, additional benefits are thought to be associated with wine - particularly red wine. Regular drinking of moderate quantities of wine has been proposed as an explanation for the "French paradox," which designates the relatively low incidence of coronary mortality in France compared with other Western countries despite a high intake of saturated fats. The beneficial effect of wine is ascribed to the presence of ethanol and phenolic compounds. This review examines the epidemiology of cardiovascular disease and wine consumption and the mechanisms underlying the biological effects on cardiovascular disease derived from red wine compounds. Copyright