The French Connection

No, this isn't about a movie. Ask most MDs and they will tell you that the French eat a horrible diet. After all they consume four-times as much butter, 40 percent more grams of fat, and 60 percent more cheese per day than do Americans. In spite of this "horrible", high-fat diet the death rate from heart attacks in France is half that of the United States. The French connection is that the French, along with this high-fat diet, also consume a lot more red wine with their meals than do Americans. Red wine (especially Pinot Noir) contains resveratrol, a powerful little molecule.

Resveratrol turns on the two sirtuin genes, Sir1 and Sir2, that are the "stay alive" genes. These genes are usually turned on under conditions of caloric restriction (famine) but are also triggered by resveratrol. Resveratrol also protects us from disease and also turns NFkB (Nuclear Factor Kappa Beta) and the resultant inflamation caused when NFkB is turned on.

NFkB is a factor in the cytoplasm of cells that turns on inflamatory cytokines. Generally NFkB is turned on when one's diet, life style and health are poor and are turned off when one is healthy, eats a good diet and has a positive life style. Remember that inflamation results when NFkB is turned on and inflmation is the cause, not cholesterol, of heart disease.

Statins inhibit NFkB which is apparently why the drugs work. However, they also inhibit Co-Q10 (coenzyme Q10). Co-Q10 is the body's most important essential nutrient and is responsible for the body's production of energy. Co-Q10 is concentrated in the heart and liver. The inhibition of Co-Q10 can lead to heart attacks in statin users.

Resveratrol has also been shown to:

• Protect cells from free-radical damage,
• Keep blood pressure within normal ranges,
• Keep the heart healthy and improves blood vessel elasticity,
• Enhance the body's protection against abnormal cell activity,
• Better controls the aging process.

The upshot. I take resveratrol and a Co-Q10 supplement every day. If you prefer, you can get a dose of resveratrol by drink red wine, but you would have to drink a lot (and I mean a lot) to get the same effect as your would get from a resveratrol supplement. Both resveratrol and Co-Q10 are available at most health food stores and on line.