Wine Makes the Heart Grow Stronger

by Dan Perkins

You may have heard the news that drinking wine, especially red wine is good for your health. I’m not a doctor and will not try to give the scientific reasons why but what I do know, as an athlete; wine has its benefits!

In 1991, 60 Minutes aired a segment exploring the health benefits of wine consumption in France deeming this phenomenon the “French Paradox.” Four years later they aired a second segment, which appeared to validate with stronger evidence in support of wine consumption as a health benefit. Kim Marcus, a contributor to Wine Spectator Magazine, wrote in their December 15, 1995 issue; “After the first French Paradox episode aired in November 1991 the consumption of red wine shot up in the United States, and it has yet to dip. That initial episode looked at the question of why the French, with a fairly rich and high-fat diet, had one of the lowest rates of heart diseases in the industrialized world. After interviewing two leading researchers in the field, Dr. R. Curtis Ellison of Boston University and Dr. Serge Reynaud of the French health institute INSERM, "60 Minutes" found that the determining factor appeared to be the French consumption of red wine.”

For years the French Paradox has given way to another paradox here in the US: If alcohol consumption has been linked to many health issues, such as liver disease, how could the medical community promote it? And so the debate began! The wine industry saw this as a boon, noting that wine sales shot up over 40% after the 60 Minutes report, while the medical community began to scrutinize the data. Wineries started using this new information as means to market their wines and doctors themselves, were beginning to tell their patients to begin drinking red wine. In just the past several years, further studies have linked specific components of red wine to the cause of these benefits; most notably the polyphenolic compound found almost exclusively in red wine, Resveratrol. To see how this “paradox” continues to spark debate, read this report by the Mayo Clinic HERE.

However, since it does appear more and more health professionals are succumbing to the benefits of moderate wine consumption while looking for alternatives to radical methods of curing Heart Disease, here’s something interesting I’ve recently read from Seth Baum, the founder and director of Clinical Development, VitalRemedy MD and the founder of the Foundation for Preventative and Integrative Medicine. Dr. Baum credits the red wine Pinot Noir specifically, to having higher levels of Resveratrol because the compound is produced by grapes that are stressed, most notably by fungi that typically attack in cool, damp climates. Good news for us Pinot drinkers! But even better news according to Dr. Baum, “Resveratrol is the only substance that has been found to prolong life in not only yeast, worms and fruit flies (the invertebrates), but also in some vertebrates – fish and over-fed mice.”

I don’t know about you… but for me, this is all the evidence I need to go out and buy me a case of Pinot Noir! WFN Pick for a great priced Pinot Noir is the Castle Rock Mendocino Pinot Noir. This is a blow away wine at just $10! If you can’t find it near you check it out HERE.

Comments

[Jon O]

DAn,
Nice post. As for the medical benefits, look no further then my boss:
http://www.fogartywinery.com/about_drfogarty.html

We is a big proponent of drinking some wine.

[Janet]

Always knew there was something to a good pinot! :-) And the Castle Rock.....yum!

[victoria]

Great, now I have to go find and buy wine that I don't even drink so David can try the Castle Rock pinot.

[Clyde]

Nice article Dan. So what do you say to someone who has only tasted wine, and very unsuccesfuly I might add, as a starting point to "develop" a taste for wine? Not sure if I have to develop the taste that I even want to, but for conversation sake.....

[victoria]

I have to say that I feel a bit left out and wished I DID like wine! It all sounds so intriguing; almost like art instead of just something to drink!

Clyde, we should start a group: People who don't like wine but are trying to. Hey, at least it'd be fun and some health benefits too! Conversation, good meal and trying to figure out this whole wine thing.

[danp]

Yes... wine is the elixir for the mixer (can't believe I just wrote that). All too often we miss the "other" benefits of wine, as noted the purpose of this article, but what I find as my favorite is what Victoria pointed out that wine is an art. So Clyde to answer your question, I think the more you understand the wonderful complexities of wine, its breadth of flavors and how it pairs with food, you'll gain that taste. The key is to drink good wine. To the uneducated there are a lot of really bad stuff out there and unfortunately it is what people usually get because they don't want to plunk down the coin for a good bottle when they believe they already don't like it. So, I hope that helps.

BTW Jon... really cool. How come I didn't realize Thomas Fogerty was your boss! I remember having a sublime TF Pinot a few years back that left a lasting memory.