Heart Disease is the biggest killer in the UK and many other countries. There is now enough scientific evidence around, pioneered by Dr. Roger Corder of the William Harvey Institute, UK, that finally proves that certain red wines lower the risk of Heart Disease. These wines bring benefits to the important endothelium lining of the artery walls, increase the levels of HDL cholesterol (the good cholesterol), which in turn helps prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol). They also inhibit production of the protein endothelin-1 (ET1). It is the oxidation of LDL cholesterol and endothelin-1 synthesis that are the causes of atherosclerosis of the artery walls leading to heart disease.

The reason red wine can have this effect is due to particular types of polyphenol flavonoids called procyanidins that are more prominent in the skins and seeds of certain grapes varieties than in others, for example Tannat, Nebbiolo and Cabernet Sauvignon. However grape variety alone does not ensure that the final red wine will be rich in procyanidins. Wines that are produced with long contact times between with the grape seeds and skins will end up with a richer content. Thus red wines produced by more traditional, or old fashioned fermentation methods tend to be the “healthiest” and best for LCL cholesterol reduction.

Dr. Roger Corder’s explains in his book The Wine Diet that it is the high concentration of these procyanidins in particular red wines that could help to explain the “French Paradox”, i.e. why it is that people in the South West and Mediterranean regions of France suffer lower rates of heart disease and live longer than most people despite eating a lot of red meat and fatty foods and smoking more cigarettes than the British. There are of course other factors at play, such as a balanced diet containing less snacks and plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, however the 2-3 glasses of “healthy” red wine per day that these people drink have a major influence on reducing their risk of heart disease and extending their life expectancy.