1991 marked the year of “The French Paradox”; the moment when a story broke in the United States that individuals in France actually had the lowest heart attack rates because of their consumption of red wine. This discovery led to a 40% increase in red win sales for the year! Let’s explore this phenomenon.

1. Alcohol & The Past: In the Bible, the Apostle Paul suggests that Timothy drink win for his stomach ailment. However, this is not the only mention of wine’s positive effect on the human body in the Bible. Each book is riddled with references to the value of wine for health and enjoyment. In the 18th century, wine played a central role in medicine.

2. Alcohol & Health: Although the United States is just beginning to recognize the positive health effects of wine, the rest of the world has garnered this belief for years. Wine is a great source of antioxidants, which actually enhance the immune system. Recent research has also shown that red wine can lower the risk of cancers, diabetes, and joint ailments.

3. New Wine & Health Theory: A French scientists recently released a study that two to three glasses of wine a day can actually reduce death rates by 30%. Although this study has recently received some criticism, Renaud released numbers of 34,000 middle aged men and their effects. The numbers do not lie.

4. Wine is For Sipping, Not Chugging: A glass of wine of two is good for you; not the bottle. If an individual binges or overindulges in wine consumption he/she could actually increase the risk of death. Although the individual would in fact be protecting their heart, the liver; which detoxifies the contents in the blood stream, would receive a major beating.

5. Wine & Lifestyle: Wine is not the only solution to a healthy lifestyle. An individual should incorporate exercise and a nutritious diet, along with wine, in order to live a healthy lifestyle. Each individual is different, but the recommended amount of exercise a week is 45 minutes to an hour.

Sunday 20 December 2009