About ten years ago scientists and researchers first began writing about the "French Paradox". In short, this term relates to the phenomenon that even though French men and women consume enormous amounts of red meat, high fat cheeses, butter and other saturated fats, all of which are known to be bad for their health, they have a far lower rate of heart disease than countries such as the United States, Israel and England.

After a great deal of research, many respected medical researchers concluded that the wine (especially the red wine) that the French drink modifies these fats and reduces their health-threatening abilities. Not even the most optimistic of medical specialists has claimed that red wine is a medicine. Nor have they claimed that the consumption of wine is the only factor involved in explaining the French Paradox. They have, however concluded that drinking a moderate amount of wine is good for the health.

Nor is it only those who want to devour huge fat-rimmed steaks that have been sauteed in butter who now conclude that wine has a positive influence on health. The same conclusion was reached at a recent conference devoted to the "Mediterranean Diet" that was held in San Francisco. The Mediterranean Diet is enormously different than what we think of as the French diet.

In fact, it is based primarily on the consumption of breads and grains (including pasta, rice, couscous, polenta and burghul), fruits and vegetables, beans, nuts, cheese, yoghurt, other dairy products and olive oil and olives. In this diet fish, poultry, eggs, and lean red meat are consumed only a few times every week and lean red meat should be consumed in small amounts only a few times monthly. An integral part of the diet is wine consumed in moderate amounts.

The question for most people remains: "What defines moderate wine consumption". An overview of more than forty different research studies reveals that there is a consensus and with few exceptions these reports concur that the daily consumption of 1 - 2 glasses of wine not only lowers the risk of heart disease for men, but also reduces overall mortality. For most women, who metabolize wine more slowly then men, moderation is generally defined slightly less, between 1 - 1.5 glasses per day.

Like true wine lovers, researchers also agree that wine should be avoided whenever its consumption would put the individual or others at risk. To date, the only negative note sounded as to health is that recent research has suggested that even a moderate amount of alcohol may be associated with a small increase in the risk of breast cancer.

© Daniel Rogov