Thank heavens for the French! It's okay to have a glass of wine at home tonight.
Twenty years after the term the 'French Paradox' was coinced, scientific studies continue to explore the relationship between the consumption of wine and health. Every 2-3 years researchers gather to exchange the results of their work and scientific inquiries with this year's conference being held in Sydney.
And the latest?
An extensive longitudinal study of 98,063 middle-aged French men (aged 40 to 65 years) has concluded that moderate wine consumption was associated with lower mortality from both cardiovascular disease (-40%) and cancer (-20%).
The study, led by Dr Dominique Lanzmann-Petithory from the Paris X & Bordeaux 2 University in France, involved a comprehensive health appraisal of all the men, evaluating major biological and biometrical parameters, as well as drinking habits including types of alcoholic beverages. After a 21-to-28 year follow up, death causes were obtained from France’s national death register.
A further study looked specifically at the relationship between wine, beer and spirit consumption and mortality from the major cancers.
Data was used from 35,292 of the same men, with a normal electrocardiogram, no medication for cardiovascular risk factors, and no sign of cancer or psychiatric disorders.
The study found that risk of death from cancer was related to age (older), educational level (lower), blood pressure, cholesterol (lower), BMI (lower), smoking, sedentary lifestyle and lower water intake.
Higher levels of wine, beer and spirit consumption were also correlated with an increase in risk of death from cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, for those who drank mostly wine (more than 50%) there was a lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, thromboembolic diseases and certain cancers, and there was no relationship with colon, stomach, pancreas, liver, and prostate cancers.
We'll drink to that!
__small.png)
