Although alcohol drinkers suffer more than twice the usual rate of breast, liver and digestive system cancer, and are more likely to have alcohol-related car crashes, there has been much positive news in the media about the health benefits of red wine. However, a recent study discovered that a natural polyphenol found in grapes is actually what is responsible for giving red wine its heart-protecting properties. This means you can get the heart-boosting benefits of wine by eating grapes, without ingesting the dangerous alcohol. So why is all the news about wine? Wine companies are misleading drinkers into thinking that alcohol consumption (not eating grapes) lowers the risk of heart attack, much the same way that tobacco companies and cigarette manufactures have done in the past.

In fact, the news about wine has been very encouraging lately. Hermann Brenner at the University of Ulm in Germany has shown that components of wine (not the actual alcohol) may have antimicrobial activity against stomach bugs such as Helicobacter pylori, the major cause of peptic ulcers and gastric cancer. In addition, researchers at the National Institute for Longevity Sciences in Tokyo, Japan showed that moderate drinkers have a higher IQ than teetotalers.

Although the researchers were quick to point out the flaws in their findings, the news media and the wine companies have quietly omitted some of these “second thoughts”. The researchers in the Japan study, for instance, were quick to point out that the results do not necessarily show that drinking will make you more intelligent. It is very difficult to show a cause/effect relationship, says senior researcher Hiroshi Shimokata.

Shimokata says that people, who drink sake, or Japanese rice wine, also tend to eat more raw fish. This raw fish could be the factor in enhanced intelligence, as fish often contain essential fatty acids that have been linked to brain development. Similarly, wine drinkers in other countries tend to eat a lot of cheese, which is not something Japanese people normally consume or buy. Shimokata says the high fat content of cheese is thought to be good for the brain.

Shimokata continues by saying that if alcoholic drinks are directly influencing IQ scores, chemicals such as polyphenols could be the critical factor. Polyphenols are known to have antioxidant properties and other beneficial effects on aging bodies, such as dilating constricted coronary arteries; and can be found in grapes and other fruits and not just alcoholic beverages.

Polyphenols…. The Secret of the Grape

Another new and positive study on wine performed on cultured cow heart cells bolsters claims that red wine carries more health benefits than other beverages. However, this study suggests that non-alcoholic extracts from red wine inhibit the formation of endothelin-1, or “ET-1”, a protein fragment made by the endothelial cells that line blood vessels. Normally, ET-1 plays a key role in maintaining the structure of arteries and veins, helping to repair them if they get damaged. But too much ET-1 can lead to a thickening of vessels and arteriosclerosis, and can exacerbate existing coronary heart disease. White and rosé wines had no effect on the production of endothelin-1. This implies that the active ingredients are the polyphenols- compounds from grape skins found only in red wines.

The health benefits of wine have also been attributed to the anti-oxidant effects of polyphenols, which are also found in plain grape skins. In addition, anti-oxidants, such as vitamins C and E found in many fruits and vegetables, are thought to reduce the formation of fatty plaques in blood vessels.

Although the previous research and news reports may help explain why the French, who often drink red wine with meals, appear to have a lower risk of heart disease than people in Britain - despite eating a similar amount of saturated fat – a phenomenon known as the “French paradox”, some health experts indicated that it is time to put down that red wine, stop this bad habit and enjoy the natural red grape fresh off the vine. Some scientists are even looking into improving the grape itself. Juan Carlos Espian of Spain’s Principal Research Council has developed enriched red grapes using ultraviolet light and has raised tenfold the concentration of resveratrol, a natural phenol credited with giving red wine its heart-protecting properties

The Misleading “Studies”… from Tobacco to Wine...

The tobacco industry had, for decades, been fraudulent and negligent in deliberately concealing the danger of cigarettes - until secret documents revealed that they had deliberately misled smokers into thinking they are smoking cigarettes that contain lower levels of tar and nicotine than they really do. In addition, they controlled most of the scientific research results about smoking and its harmful effects on human health. Furthermore, because previous attempts to make low-nicotine products had removed some of the flavor along with the nicotine, Amish tobacco farmers in Pennsylvania are now growing the so-called “genetically engineered nicotine-free tobacco” for a projected introduction of nicotine-free cigarettes. This new tobacco will not be nicotine-free as they claim but will only have low levels of nicotine; and the tar will still be there.

Now it is the wine companies’ turn. Although all the research findings have confirmed the dangers of alcohol on human health and the benefits of red grape as a fruit, they continue to mislead drinkers into thinking that alcohol consumption lowers heart attack risks and send press releases out that further propagate this claim. In addition, they are trying to spread the message that “a moderate intake of red wine may protect against heart disease” as tobacco companies and cigarette manufactures had done in the past when they said, “cigarette smoking may reduce the risks of stress.”

Sources:

• Alinsworth, Claire. “Secret At Heart Of Red Wine Revealed” The Scientist. December 29, 2001.

• Boyce, Neil. “You Can Get The Heart-Boosting Benefits Of Grapes Without The Alcohol” Current Science. January 3, 2002.

• Klarreich, Erica. “Wine Fights Heart Foe” Nature. December 20, 2001.

• Miller, Greg. “Passive Smoking Shown To Disrupt Heart” Discover. July 27, 2001.

• Veggeberg, Scott “How Cancer Spreads After A Night On The Tiles” New Scientist. December 29, 2001.

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