Free Radical Effects -

Red Wine and Free Radicals

For years, doctors have been embarrassed when asked why it is that the French, whose diet is high in saturated fats, nevertheless have a low incidence of the serious arterial disease, atherosclerosis  and a correspondingly low mortality from coronary heart disease. In medical circles, this is known as the 'French paradox'. Some medical people, especially those with a taste for wine, have maintained that this can somehow be attributed to a regular intake of red wine. The reasons they have given for the opinion have usually referred to the artery widening (vasodilatation) effect of the alcohol content of the wine, and have not been found particularly plausible. A better suggestion has now been produced.

In the British Medical Journal for 20 February 1993, a paper appeared by scientists of the Lipid Research Group of the University of California. This paper referred to previous research that showed how oxidation of the cholesterol carrying low density lipoproteins ( LDLs) allows cholesterol tobe incorporated into the plaques of atherosclerosis in the walls of arteries . The paper then turned to a consideration of certain of the non alcoholic constituents of the wine several phenolic substances ( flavonoids ) which are known to have antioxidant properties. Pheonolics were prepared from Californian red wine and tested fro their antioxidant powers on human low density lipoproteins in the laboratory. These tests showed that the phenolic substances were even more effective than vitamin E in preventing the oxidation of LDLs. Wine diluted on e thousand fold, containing tiny quantities of phenolics, blocked the oxidation of LDLs significantly more than vitamin E. according to the authors, ' these data provide a plausible explanation for the French paradox'.

Since then, much research has shown that heart attacks and strokes are not the only medical benefits that wine can confer, it seems that the antioxidant effects of wine can have ever wider effects. The British Medical Journal of 5 April 1997 reports French research that concluded that elderly people who drink wine in moderation were less likely to develop. Alzheimer's disease or senile dementia than non drinkers. In a nine year study of 3,777 men and women over the age of 65 years, less that 1% of those who drank wine moderately developed dementia compared with 4.9% of non-drinkers and 5.1% of light drinkers. A moderate drinker in this series ws defined as one who took three to four glasses a day. Another report, in the Lancet of 10 January 1998, describes research at Howard University, Washington DC, on the relationship between wine intake And the development of the distressing age-related condition of macular degeneration. This common disorder damages or destroys straight ahead vision while leaving peripheral vision unaffected. The result may be that the sufferer is unable to read, recognize faces, tell the time, drive a car or enjoy television.

In a study of 3,072 adults over 45 years, a total of 184 were found to have macular degeneration. The remarkable thing was that 9% of those who did not drink developed the condition, while only 4% of those who drank wine regularly did so. After the figures were adjusted to eliminate the effects of a previous history of circulatory disease and other confusing factors, the wine drinkers still came out with substantially less mascular degeneration than the non drinkers. This unexpected result was attributed to the antioxidant properties of wine and possibly, also, to its power of preventing blood platelets from sticking together and thus initiating a thrombosis.

The important point was made, however, that although a little of what you fancy can, apparently, do you good, more that moderate indulgence in wine will certainly bring its own problems, especially in older people.