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Monday, November 28, 2005
Celebrate the Latest Study on Diet, Wine and Health — Carefully
(To tell us what you had for Thanksgiving dinner, click here.)
Eating a Mediterranean-style diet for three months can reduce the risk of heart disease by 15 percent, a new study shows.
Male participants in the study who were assigned the “Mediterranean-style� diet were allowed two glasses of red wine daily, while women were limited to one glass, according to the Reuters News Service story about the diet’s benefits. Study participants who were assigned a more traditional low-fat diet also reduced their risk factors for cardiovascular disease, though not by as much as the Mediterranean-diet folks.
Look for the wine marketing folks to seize upon this as further proof that wine is good for you. But does anyone else have …
…mixed feelings about how these research findings can be misused?
The benefits outlined in this study — performed by a French researcher and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition — probably have a lot more to do with … … diet than alcohol consumption, although there’s no way to tell for sure. Nonetheless, there are dozens of other studies that suggest moderate consumption of alcohol lowers the risk of heart disease and overall mortality. Some of those studies suggest wine is better than other forms of alcohol in its protective effects, others suggest there’s no difference between wine and other forms of alcohol.
But I’m wary of wine marketers, makers and sellers who seem just a tad too eager to promote wine as the next great health drink – a veritable fountain of youth.
As ridiculous as some government regulations are regarding wine labeling – we’ve all heard about the most outrageous examples — I’d be reluctant to do away with all oversight and place our trust in the wine industry to do the right thing when it comes to promoting sales of its product.
So take this most recent study as you should all of the others you read about: with a grain of salt. Preferably over a piece of crusty bread dipped in olive oil. And, of course, some red wine – in moderation.
Cheers!
Mark Fisher
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