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Home > Blogs > Uncorked > Archives > 2005 > November > 28 > Entry
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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Comments
By Cynthia
December 5, 2005 8:52 AM | Link to this
ONE glass of wine a day? What’s the point of living a long life if you’re going to be bored the entire time!?
By Mark D.
November 28, 2005 7:52 PM | Link to this
I too will be at Tonys house next year! Tried Mr. Fishers brining technique on a bird I did outside on the smoker and it was the hit of the meal.Too bad I overcooked the Heritage bird. We really enjoyed it last year and wanted our guests to experience something different. Wines were run of the mill. 1999 CK Pinot, Armagh Vineyard was the best but my wine neophytes liked the oaky Barnett Pinot. I liked the Francois Raquillet old vines 2003 Bourgogne. Even though it was young and uncharacteristically fruity. It was even better on Sunday after a solid Bengals victory. P.S. The brining gig worked so well I did it again with a DLM organic turkey breast on Sunday. We put it on the smoker when we left for the game and had a wonderful treat when we got home with the leftover Raquillet. Thanks for the great tip Mark.
By Donniella Winchell
November 28, 2005 5:39 PM | Link to this
It seems that our industry has an inordinate share of healthy octogenarians — I know a dozen or more Ohio winemakers’ family members who are living very well into their late seventies and eighties. Then there are the oh-so-more-famous Mondavis and the Cribaris, et.,al. Would be an intersting study for some grad student.