French paradox effect

People in France eat a lot of fatty foods but suffer less from fatal heart strokes than people in the northern regions of Europe or in North America, where wine is not consumed on a regular basis ( French paradox ). There is an increased favorable effect from red wine. The unique cardioprotective properties of red wine are due to the action of flavonoids, which are minimal in white wine. The best-researched flavonoids are resveratrol and quercetin, which confer antioxidant properties more potent than a-tocopherol. 

Interest in the health effects of anthocyanins was piqued by the French paradox in which the mortality from cardiovascular disease was lower than that predicted from the intake of dietary saturated fatty acids. The beneficial effects were greater in association with alcohol taken in the form of wine suggesting that there may be a protective effect of other components of wine. Needless to say the wine industry was pleased with this research. 

In a prospective study of 3454 men and women (age 55 years and older), a significant inverse association between the intake of catechin-rich tea and radiographically quantified aortic atherosclerosis was found [200], Similarly, inverse association between the consumption of red wine and CHD mortality (French paradox) have been suggested [201]. This beneficial effect of red wine may be due to the antioxidant ability of the wine phenolics to inhibit the oxidation of LDL to an atherogenic form [202],... 

Furthermore, polyphenolics present in wine, of which flavonoids are important components, have been suggested to be responsible of the so called French paradox, that is, the unexpectedly low rate of mortality from coronary heart disease in French population despite an unfavourable exposure to known cardiovascular risk factors such as high saturated fat consumption [19-21]. Epidemiological studies in USA [22] and Denmark [23] reported that moderate red wine drinkers had a lower risk of coronary artery disease than participants with no alcoholic beverage preference. However, controversial results about the antioxidant capacity of human serum after red wine consumption have been reported [24-27]. It is therefore uncertain whether wine constituents other than alcohol add to the cardioprotective effects of red wine. 

It was postulated that the inhibition of LDL oxidation by red wine may help to explain the French paradox. Since Frankel and co-workers [73] showed that red wine inhibit the oxidation of LDL, several in vitro studies have confirmed this finding [26,74,75]. There is controversy over whether or not the consumption of red wine by humans reduces the oxidation of LDL ex vivo. While several studies found resistance of LDL oxidation after 2 weeks of red wine consumption in healthy subjects [75,76], others found no effect on the oxidation of LDL ex vivo [26,77]. Recently, Stein and coworkers [78] showed that short-term ingestion of purple grape juice (7.7 1.2 mL/Kg/day for 14 days) reduced the susceptibility to oxidation in coronary artery disease patients and that this is a potential mechanism by which flavonoids in purple grape products may prevent cardiovascular events, independent of alcohol content. 

An interesting case is the prevention of cardio-vascular diseases as a result of the consumption of wine. Like most fruits grapes are rich in polyphenols, and the process of wine making results in the concentration of polyphenols. Wine polyphenols are considered to have beneficial effects on coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis. The presence of polyphenols in wine are thought to be the reason for the French paradox France was shown to have a coronary mortality rate close to that of China and Japan in spite of the high amount of saturated fat and cholesterol levels in the French diet. The consumption of red wine in France, however, is considerably higher than in either China or Japan (Staggs, 1996). 

The well-known French paradox was first noted by Irish physician Samuel Black in 1819. Back in the nineteenth century, he was the first to observe the fact that people in France suffer relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite their diet being rich in saturated fats. It was proposed that France s profound red wine consumption is a primary factor contributing to the protective effect. The first scientific evidence, however, for the cardiovascular benefits of red wine was put forward by Renaud and his associates in 1992 [Renaud and Lorgeril, 1992]. In this study, popularly known as the French paradox, the researchers found that there had been a low mortality rate from, and incidence of, coronary heart disease among French men above the age of 40 years compared to men in the United Kingdom and the United States, despite their high consumption of saturated fats and the prevalence of other... 

Sun AY, Simonyi A, Sun GY. 2002. The French Paradox and beyond Neuropro-tective effects of polyphenols. Free Radic Biol Med 32 314-318. 

The efficiency of the carbene-based systems has led to their application in total synthesis. For example, Andrus and co-workers [74] recently reported a new synthetic approach to resveratol, the probable causative agent of the French paradox [75]. A decarbonylative Heck reaction was the key step of this concise and cost-effective synthesis [76-78]. 

Epidemiological studies show an association between low to moderate consumption of red wine and reduced risk for CHD. This phenomenon is known as the French paradox and may be mediated, in part, by the phytochemical resveratrol. The mechanism underlying the cardiomodulatory effects of this polyphenol has not been completely elucidated but may be partly attributable to the broad spectrum of biological responses it elicits. 

SERUM LIPOPROTEINS AND CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS In most countries, the risk of mortality due to coronary heart disease (CHD) is correlated with a high dietary intake of saturated fat and elevated serum cholesterol levels. France is an exception to this rule, with relatively low mortality from CHD despite the consumption of high quantities of saturated fats by the French (the French paradox ). Epidemiological studies suggest that widespread wine consumption... 

DSM produces the antioxidant Resveratrol, the component in red wine that is responsible for a number of positive health effects also known as The French paradox . They have published a total synthesis of Resveratrol that is based on a Heck approach using acetylated intermediates (Scheme 13) [48, 49]. The best yield (94%) and highest substrate/catalyst ratio (2,000) were achieved using the palladacycle catalyst developed by Najera and co-workers [49, 50]. Hydrolysis of the tris-acetate provided Resveratrol in good yield. 

Resveratrol (Fig. 23), a stilbene found in many food sources, e.g., peanuts and red wine, is assumed to have multiple benefits on human health. Most attention has been received by the so-called French paradox , the low occurrence of cardiovacular disease in populations living on a diet high in saturated fats, but consuming red wine. The protective effect of red wine is attributed to its proanthocyanidin and resveratrol contents. Possible mechanisms disscussed are the inhibition of oxidation of LDL cholesterol and platelet aggregation. Resveratrol may also increase longevity by activation of sirtuins, NAD+-dependent protein deacetylases involved in aging, which respond to oxidative stress and are induced by a low-calory diet. Resveratrol mimics the effects of a low-calory diet and extends the... 

Smdies on the healthy effects of wine began with the discovery of the French Paradox in the 1970s [19,20]. This phenomenon is usually defined as a lower-than-expected coronary heart disease mortahty rate in France, where classic risk factors are not less prevalent than in other industrialized countries and where, in addition, the diet has always been rich in saturated animal fat [21]. A number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain the phenomenon [21-27], the most widely accepted... 

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