Traditional French cuisine is rather rich and high in fat, yet the French suffer from fewer cases of coronary heart disease than other populations with similar diets. The debates on this "French Paradox" sparked the research on the health benefits of this famous beverage that the French so willingly enjoy with their meals: red wine. And the results are convincing - the cardiovascular risk for a regular moderate consumer is reduced by 20 to 30% (1)! This phenomenon is associated with the large quantities of phenolic acids found in the wine, which alter cholesterol absorption by the body and protect heart function. Well-selected red wine can therefore be a powerful ally when it comes to your health - in moderation, of course.
Nutritional Information
The main benefits of red wine are attributed to its winemaking process. Its uniqueness lies in its bright red colour; it contains resveratrol, a naturally occurring molecule found in the grape skins, which is preserved in this type of winemaking. It is this compound that makes it a veritable elixir of youth! This flavonoïd phenolic acid also plays a role in the protection and development of cells throughout your body (2). Resveratrol limits oxidative stress (3) and thus prevents the mutation of cancer cells while reducing the risk of degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's (4) or age-related macular degeneration. Studies have also recently demonstrated that resveratrol activates the "longevity gene" (SIRT1), which has the same protective function for cells (5). A glass of red wine (about 105 kcal) is much more beneficial to your long-term health than other types of alcohol, such as beer, which tends to make your belly bloat a lot faster. The ellagic acids contained in red wine (6) even help your body limit its absorption of fatty acids and make you lose weight.
Tips to Choose Red Wine
The degree of alcohol does not affect the nutritional qualities of red wine but, for your health, it is preferable that, regardless of grape variety, you choose wines with low alcohol content in order to minimize the negative impact on your health.The amount tolerated by the body differs from person to person. Therefore, as a precaution, we recommend limiting yourself to one glass per day. In general, women should drink no more than 2 glasses per day and men no more than 3 per day.
Red wine complements any dish! Do not hesitate to ask your wine merchant for advice on selecting the best wines for your taste and finding which wines go with which foods.
Références : (1) Alcohol consumption and cardiovascular risk factors in older lifelong wine drinkers: The Italian Longitudinal Study on Aging. Perissinotto E, Buja A, Maggi S, Enzi G, Manzato E, Scafato E, Mastrangelo G, Frigo AC, Coin A, Crepaldi G, Sergi G; for the ILSA Working Group. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis. 2009 Aug 18 (2) Losa G.A. Resveratrol modulates apoptosis and oxidation in human mononuclear cells. Eur J Clin Invest 2003 Sept; 33(9): 818-23. (3) Chanvitayapongs S. et al. Amelioration of oxidative stress by antioxidants and resveratrol in PC12 cells. Neuroreport 1997; 8: 1499-502. (4) Russo A. et al. Red wine micronutrients as protective agents in Alzheimer's like induced insult. Life Sci 2003; 72: 2369-79. (5) Howitz K.T. et al. Small molecule activators of sirtuins extend saccharomyces cerevisiae lifespan. Nature. 2003 Sep 11; 425(6954): 191-6. (6) Okla M1, Kang I1, Kim da M2, Gourineni V2, Shay N3, Gu L2, Chung S4. Ellagic acid modulates lipid accumulation in primary human adipocytes and human hepatoma Huh7 cells via discrete mechanisms. J Nutr Biochem. 2015 Jan;26(1):82-90. doi: 10.1016/j.jnutbio.2014.09.010.