The Mediterranean diet is rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals, and monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids from vegetable oils or sea fish. Another important component of the Mediterranean diet is red grapes in the form of red wine, which is drunk regularly but moderately with meals. Moderate consumption of red wine with meals is part of the “savoir vivre” for the French. The red wine phenols from red wine and the vitamins from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables can neutralize free radicals and thus protect against vascular changes. The components of the Mediterranean diet thus play a significant role in maintaining the health of the cardiovascular system. Mediterranean cuisine is heart-healthy indulgence – even in Germany.
“French Paradox.”
French people love to feast and “sin” for their lives. One would think that this “lifestyle” would have a negative effect on health. Mais non, quite the opposite: the risk of heart attack in France for men and women between the ages of 40 and 69 is only half as high compared to other countries. And this despite the fact that the French eat just as fatty and even smoke more cigarettes compared to the rest of Europeans.
This phenomenon (lower mortality rate from cardiovascular diseases compared to other industrialized nations, although the risk factors such as cigarette smoking, diet with high fat content are comparably high) is called the “French Paradox”. This raises the question of “why”. Can the dietary vision be scientifically justified?
The answer is as luminous as it is paradoxical: it is the regular consumption of red wine that is supposed to ensure “good-hearted” health. C ‘est vrai! The French drink more red wine on an annual average than we Germans do – but the decisive factor is the daily amount of moderate alcohol consumption. For the same amounts of alcohol consumed, the rate of heart attacks in men in Belfast is more than four times higher than in the French. Consequently, the decisive factor for the positive health effects of red wine should be a steady but moderate consumption and, of course, red wine per se.
What makes red wine an elixir of life?
It has long been suspected that moderate consumption of red wine is beneficial to health. In the early 1990s, two researchers stepped up to provide scientific proof. In 1992, two French scientists, Renaud and de Lorgeril, found in a field trial that red wine has a preventive health effect, for example, in relation to arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).
Since then, tireless international research has been conducted into the constituents of red wine, and more than 500 components have now been found, including proteins, sugars, acids, tannins and colorants, minerals, trace elements, and aromatic and bouquet substances.
Red wine phenols – A reason for the French Paradox.
But which ingredients gave red wine the myth of long and healthy life? It is mainly the bioactive red wine phenols which make up 0.2% in red wine, but are only 0.01% in white wine. While white wine is made from the pressed juice of the grape, the rich red color of red wine is obtained by macerating the whole grape with its skin. Thus, the health-promoting substances from the skin and seeds of the red grape come into the glass – well then: A votre santé!
What are phenols?
Phenols belong to the group of secondary plant substances. This class of substances are products of the metabolism of carbohydrates, fats and amino acids. Phenols consist of an aromatic ring system to which one and, in the case of polyphenols, at least two alcoholic groups are attached.
Due to the production process of red wine, in which the crushed grapes remain in contact with the grape juice for several days during “mash fermentation”, there is an accumulation in red wine of the polyphenols contained mainly in the grape skins and seeds. In contrast, in white wine production, the grape juice is pressed directly and then fermented separately. Red wine therefore contains much higher concentrations of polyphenols (1500- 4000mg/l) than white wine (200- 500mg/l).
