French Paradox
With its temperate climate, touching the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, France stands in the middle of European cultures. France also stands in the middle of the mosaic of European drinking cultures, as a bridge country between the social and cultural habits of Europe. The French cuisine consists of almost four times more butter and three times more lard, and they have higher cholesterol levels and blood pressures, than do Americans. Yet just 7 percent of the French population is obese and relatively heart disease free, compared to the 22 percent of Americans who are obese and the highest levels of heart disease are present in the world (University of Pennsylvania). Their diet is rather indulgent by American standards, yet they seem to maintain a healthy, balanced, slender lifestyle. The result of the phenomenon is termed the French Paradox. The French Paradox is the perplexing connection between France’s rich cuisine, their slender population, and their good health from the drinking of red wine.France is currently in the midst of a debate whether the French paradox is actually to be considered a paradox. According to Paul Rozin, Professor of Psychology at Penn “The French Paradox is only a paradox if one assumes
In recent year’s new research investigating the polyphenolic antioxidants that offer protective effects to the cardiovascular system have been underway to explain this paradox. There are three major classes of antioxidants, which are the anthocyanin, the catechins (the flavanols), and the oligomer also called the procyanidins. One of the major antioxidants is Polyphenols also referred to as resveratrol, epicatechin and proanthocyanidins, which are most often found in grapes. There is a strikingly low incidence of coronary heart disease in France, despite an intake of a high-fat diet, which has been attributed to the consumption of wine containing these high levels of polyphenolic compounds, which leads to the theory of the French Paradox. The major polyphenolic group in wine is the catechin. The catechins (tanins) is group of polymers, which a special group of flavanoids that are protective against both coronary heart disease and certain types of cancer. These molecules are all polyphenols, which mean they contain more than one aromatic ring, with at least one hydroxyl group attached to the rings, which induces their antioxidant behaviour. There are a number of monophenols, which occur in wines. The main monophenols in wines are: gallic acid, II, which are from seed coats and also oak tannins. The gallate part can attach to catechins, thus making them even more efficient antioxidants. Their chemical structure is very s
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Approximate Word count = 966
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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