Wine Advise for Vascular Health
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The 'Wine Diet' is an interesting and worthwhile addition to the multitude of diet books that abound nowadays. Diet books that are fairly often of dubious quality, but not this one. Prof. Roger Corder, an expert researcher in cardiovascular health in relation to wines, gives very practical advise on the best red wines to choose for vascular health effects. Of course wine consumption is needed in moderation (max. 1-2 glasses a day) and preferably with food.
His book is especially relevant for the prevention and treatment of the many modern chronic diseases with a strong endothelial dysfunction component of the vessels, like coronary heart disease, diabetes etc.
Corder recommends in particular the traditional Madiran wines in South-West France, which contain high amounts of polyphenols. These polyphenols powerfully stimulate the natural vasodilator Nitric Oxide (NO), essential for vascular health. There is also very sensible advise on other 'Food for Health' topics based on sound scientific research, like the dark chocolate and (unprocessed) cacao powder drink recommendation.
He has worthwhile things to say about longevity, but the claim that the people in the Madiran region have the best longevity record in France, because of their red wine consumption, is dubious as longevity is influenced by many different factors.
Furthermore, his opinion on the super polyphenol resveratrol is not completely up-to-date. Although resveratrol levels in general are very low in most red wines, this is not always true especially in the some Pinot Noir and Muscadine wines. More importantly new research has made clear that resveratrol cooperates with other polyphenols (e.g. quercetine) and is being metabolized to various active substances, resulting in health effects at lower levels than previously thought.
Nevertheless, this is a really good book with lots of practical advise and supported by an extensive list of research literature.
As a public physician in the prevention of chronic disease, I have no hesitation in recommending this book.
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The Holy Grail is found!
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The Wine Diet is the long awaited holy grail for wine drinkers who get put off by health warnings. Shame about that expression "in moderation" that casts a slight shadow on an otherwise encouraging green light to red wine drinking. He specifically mentions the tannat grape as having high scores, after having done concentrated research on the wines of Madiran in South West France, one of those Shangri La locations where longevity is attributed to the local wine.
Both Chateau Du Cèdre (a specifically mentioned Cahors that scores a 4 on his health scale) and Irouléguy (a tannat that my more um intuitive home laboratory can definitely give a similar rating to) are quaffed in frequent moderation round my table. This is a grape with character well worth checking out. He generally finds that the more mass produced wines come out less well.
I raise my red wine glass in moderation to Roger Corder. Just what the doctor ordered. Cheers!
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