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To see this story with its related links on the Guardian Unlimited site, go to http://www.guardian.co.uk Here's a healthy little French white wine James Meek, science correspondent Wednesday December 11 2002 The Guardian Throwing out a timely straw to drinkers drowning in a sea of festive booze, French researchers say they have devised a white wine with nearly all the much-hyped health benefits of red. The bad news, say health campaigners, is that if health rather than pleasure is people's main concern, they should make their Christmas toasts with carrot juice. The new wine, made from the chardonnay grape, is called Paradoxe Blanc, after the "French paradox" theory which links France's fat and wine-rich diet to the country's high life expectancy. New Scientist reports that a team at the University of Montpellier has come up with a white wine rich in substances called polyphenols. These are antioxidants - they mop up a dangerous by-product of the natural human Metabolic process known as free radicals. Free radical damage may be the main cause of ageing. In grapes, polyphenols are found mainly in the skins, which contribute more to traditional red wine making than to that of white. The Montpellier researchers have made Paradoxe using polyphenol-rich chardonnay grapes and a method which mimics red wine production. The French group's primary goal was to make a wine suitable for diabetics, who have a reduced natural capacity to deal with free radicals. However, wine contains many other substances besides polyphenols, including alcohol, which moves from being possibly healthy to being unhealthy above a certain level. Critics of the promotion of wine drinking as healthy point out that slow, regular drinking of wine at mealtimes in France is likely to be safer than the binge drinking of the UK. The best way to get antioxidants is to eat plenty of fruit and vegetables, Eleanor Kennedy, of the charity Diabetes UK, told New Scientist. Belinda Linden, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "One or two units of alcohol are thought to provide some protection against heart disease, but large amounts can be harmful." Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited Ask us anything, we will do our best to help. To contact us please use our...
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