Oct 11 2008
The Red Wine Diet
Wine is good for you, and we finally know why.
Wine drinkers are less prone to heart disease, diabetes, and dementia than non- wine drinkers. But what exactly is it about wine that keeps us healthy? Which is better for you, a California Cabernet or Syrah from the south of France? How can you choose wines that both suit your tastes and benefit your health?
In a landmark study, Roger Corder revealed that compounds called procyanidins are the key components of wine for preventing illness. Now, in The Red Wine Diet, he argues that drinking the right kinds of red wine and eating procyanidin-rich foods such as dark chocolate, apples, and berries can help us live to a ripe old age-while enjoying all the pleasures of life.
Corder's own tests show that, as a result of grape variety, wine-making style, and other factors, some red wines contain much higher levels of procyanidins than others. With a unique personal rating system, he describes the most beneficial wines he's found to date. And to round out his lifestyle plan, he includes fifty delicious recipes featuring foods that are high in procyanidins.
Corder's prescription is an easy pill to swallow: Drink red wine every day and live a long and healthy life.
Customer Review: Ignore the cover
The cover and subtitle of this book suggest that it is a shallow treatment of the health benefits of red wine that encourages daily alcohol consumption. This is misleading and does a disservice to the content. It is in fact a careful examination of what constitutes the health-promoting ingredient of red wine compared to other alcoholic beverages (a class of chemicals called procyanidins, it turns out - not resveretrol). The author then takes pains to explain how these plant products can be obtained from other sources (e.g. chocolate, apples), and to put their role in a balanced diet in perspective. There is even a final section of sample recipes to put into practice the nutritional advice he presents.
The author is a chemist by profession, and he writes like one. However, he makes his points in a clear, balanced way that avoids the self-promotional hype that so often taints popular books on health issues. He is obviously a wine lover himself, and the chapter comparing the procyanidin content of various red wine-producing countries and regions is exhaustive. A simple recommendation of the richest sources would have been more helpful to the non-connoisseur; he does eventually get around to this by focusing on the Madarin region of France. He decided to focus on this region because it contains the highest proportion of long-lived Frenchmen, and it is here that he seems to fall victim to the cardinal scientific sin of confusing an association with causality. The implicit conclusion is that it must be the procyanidin-rich wines of this region that result in the locals' longevity, but it may turn out to be some other, even non-dietary factor (maybe they live so long despite the wine!). However, the laboratory evidence he provides of procyanidins' beneficial effects on blood vessels is compelling and is at least a plausible mechanism for the effects he proposes. At the very least, this well-researched and thoughtfully written work will shed new light on the already widely-known virtues of the Mediterranean diet.
Customer Review: The Red Wine Diet
Roger Corder's new book provides solid laboratory evidence for the health benefits of red wine. The book is written in a readable style suited for the non-scientist interested in maintaining good health. The key product found in red wine which mediates this healthy effect particularly on the blood vessels of the heart is procyanidin. Dr. Corder has surveyed over 300 red wines from most of the world's wine regions and has awarded each a heart rating score from 1 to 5 hearts based on procyanidin levels. The book provides the reader with a list of foods and diets which are high in procyanidin as well.The book serves as a ready resource for anyone interested in locating wines and foods rich in procyanidin.
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