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GLASS A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY!
By Audrey Cross, Ph.D, J.D.
Most of us believe that "if it taste good, it can't be good for you."
Happily, this does not apply to wines!
 A growing body of science continues to confirm that moderate
consumption of wine actually improves health. Protection from heart attacks
leads the list. First described as the "French Paradox," doctors noted that
despite a diet rich in saturated fats and cholesterol, the French rarely have
heart attacks. Italians, Cretes and Greeks enjoy this same protection from
consuming wine with their "Mediterranean Diet." Studies in Denmark and in the
U.S. by the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey concurred that
people who drink wine experienced fewer strokes and heart attacks.
The apparent protection stems from wine's ability to increase high-density
lipoproteins (called HDL-cholesterol or "good" cholesterol) and to inhibit
platelet aggregation. This decreases narrowing of the arteries and clots that
clog them. In addition, phytoestrogen resvertrol, a phenolic compound found in
grape skins, acts as an antioxidant to prevent damage to heart and vascular
tissues.
Our ancestors used wine to prevent food poisoning, dysentery and
diarrhea -- common disorders when refrigeration was not readily available. In
fact, it is more effective than bismuth salicylate -- the active ingredient in
Pepto Bismo -- in eradicating food-borne bacteria.
Despite all this
good news about something good for you that tastes good too, Americans as a
whole have not adopted a "glass-a-day" regime. Like beer and hard alcohol, more
wine is consumed on weekends than as a daily part of meals in the U.S.
A word to the wise: Unlike pennies, saving your drink "allowance" for the
weekend is counterproductive. It is better to have 1-3 glasses of wine daily
with meals than 3 bottles on Saturday night! Follow the advise of the U.S.
Dietary Guidelines to use wine in moderation as part of a healthful diet. Or
the sage wisdom of this Russian proverb -- "Drink a glass of wine after your
soup and you steal a ruble from your doctor."
About the author:
Dr. Audrey Cross, Ph.D, J.D., is a professor at the Institute of Human
Nutrition at Columbia University in New York City. She is the author of the
first U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans. She and her husband, Steve
Gambino, recently joined the Garden State Wine Growers Association and are
looking for property in New Jersey on which to plant a vineyard.
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