| Wine, when it was only French, was a luxurious | | | | their love for wine, helps the French lower their |
| drink of the rich and the classy. Wine, in its | | | | susceptibility and risk to cardiac and vascular |
| democratized forms, is now a luxury made | | | | illnesses. |
| available at every supermarket and has come a | | | | Of the natural occurring fruits and vegetables, |
| far way from its tradition of being produced in | | | | grapes are a good source of natural polyphenols, |
| France and Germany. | | | | especially resveratrol, which has an effect on |
| Lately wine drinkers have the choice of selecting | | | | reducing blood sugar levels and clearing out toxins |
| their bottle of wine produced in the vine yards of | | | | and fat deposits from the blood arteries and |
| California, Chile, Australia and India, to name a | | | | veins. |
| few. Wine had always had a high brand image as | | | | It’s the paired effects of alcohol and |
| a drink meant only for the aristocrats unlike beer, | | | | polyphenols, which result in its anti-oxidation |
| whiskey and brandy which is more associated the | | | | properties that offer protection against |
| common man’s pub drink. | | | | cardiovascular morbidity, and cancers. The |
| Complimenting this established popular perception, | | | | polyphenols levels are high in wine that is aged. |
| good French wine cost you the earth. Till a few | | | | Drinking a glass of red wine during and after |
| decades ago, wine was made available through | | | | meals helps to get rid of the bacteria and rinse |
| specialist wine outlets, stored in huge cellars and | | | | the teeth, says a new study, and this effect is |
| dispensed by wine-wise sommeliers in restaurants. | | | | visible even in non-alcoholic wine, which even the |
| But as more and more countries proved | | | | teetotalers can now enjoy. The active |
| themselves to be sources wine as good as the | | | | components in red wine that protect teeth are |
| French, supplies expanded dramatically and | | | | some naturally occurring flavonoid compounds |
| suddenly, wine became an affordable drink to all | | | | previously found to have antioxidant properties. |
| which has given reason to more people switching | | | | Daily consumption of red wine is said to reduce |
| from stronger alcohol based drinks to more milder | | | | the risk of several types of cancers including lung |
| intoxication of wine. | | | | and ovarian cancers. Decline in cognitive functions |
| Wine has therefore made a successful | | | | is one of the visible signs of growing old and aging. |
| transformation from being an elitist and | | | | Moderate wine drinkers face reduced risk of |
| unaffordable drink to a drink for the masses. | | | | disease such as Alzheimer’s disease. The |
| There is a ‘French Paradox’ related to | | | | decrease in the blood flow to the brain can be |
| the lifestyle and food habits of the French. | | | | countered by regular, moderate wine drinking, |
| Despite French cuisine having a diet high content | | | | which otherwise could lead to dementia. The |
| of saturated fats, the French have displayed a | | | | prescribed limit for an adult is three standard |
| tendency to significantly low risk of cardiovascular | | | | drinks of alcohol per day which turns out into |
| disease. In short, what the French Paradox | | | | approx. 100 ml for men and a little less for |
| explains is, in spite of leading unhealthy lifestyles, | | | | women. |