Scientists pin down red wine's heart secret

By STEVE CONNOR

LONDON - An innocuous ingredient of red wine could explain the French paradox or why people in France have a lower risk of heart disease.

Scientists have identified a substance unique to red wine that could decrease the chances of coronary heart disease even among gourmands who enjoy a rich diet of creamy sauces and red meat.

Several medical studies have found that heart disease is lower among people who consume moderate but regular tipples of alcohol.

But there also seems to be something special about red wine.

A team of scientists from the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary, University of London, set up a study to investigate whether red wine had any beneficial effect, even though the researchers felt the evidence was slim.

"Statistical evidence of reduced coronary heart disease in areas of high wine consumption has led to the widespread belief that wine affords a protective effect," the scientists say in the journal Nature.

"Although moderate drinking of any alcohol helps to reduce the incidence of coronary heart disease, there is no clear evidence that red wine confers any additional benefit," they say.

But the scientists identified a group of compounds specific to red wine called polyphenols which appear to depress the body's natural production of a substance called endothlin-1.

This increases the risk of vascular disease and atherosclerosis because of its role in stimulating the constriction of blood vessels.

The scientists found that polyphenols isolated from cabernet sauvignon red wine significantly decreased the production of endothelin-1 in bovine cells growing in a test tube.

To make sure that the beneficial effects of alcohol were not involved, the scientists compared the effect with alcohol-free extracts of white and rose wines as well as red grape juice. None had the same impact on endothelin-1 production as red wine.

Professor Roger Corder, who led the team, said that identifying a specific property of red wine that accounted for the reduction in the risk of heart disease could explain the French paradox and provide further insight into the accepted health benefits of a Mediterranean diet.

* Taking up drinking in middle age can cut the risk of heart disease, but it increases the chances of dying from other causes, another study has found.

Research published in the journal Heart suggests that middle-aged people who take up regular light drinking are less likely to have a heart attack or non-fatal heart disease than teetotallers. But they are 40 per cent more likely to die from cancer or other causes.

- INDEPENDENT

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