What's all the buzz about Tannat wine and heart health? Red wine and heart health has been a popular topic of conversation around dining tables and water coolers since the "French Paradox" was first discussed on the popular television news show 60 Minutes in 1991.
“The French Paradox is the observation that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats” (Wikipedia). 60 Minutes featured a theory that red wine was the missing link that explained the paradox – it decreased the occurrence of cardiac diseases in the French, despite their heart un-healthy diets. (More on the French Paradox )
How does red wine explain the French Paradox?
While wine producers are prohibited by law from making statements to this effect, the Mayo Clinic asserts that certain red wine ingredients (alcohol and certain antioxidants) are capable of improving your cholesterol and blood vessels in your heart when taken in moderation. They state "red wine, in moderation, has long been thought of as heart healthy. The alcohol and certain substances in red wine called antioxidants may help prevent heart disease by increasing levels of "good" cholesterol and protecting against artery damage.”
Mayo identifies the main wine-heart-health antioxidants as flavonoids, resveratrol, and polyphenols:
“Doctors do agree that something in red wine appears to help your heart. Researchers think antioxidants, such as flavonoids or a substance called resveratrol, have promising heart-healthy benefits. The studies supporting red wine suggest antioxidants in red wine called polyphenols help protect the lining of bood vessels in your heart.” (Read the full article)
What
about Tannat wine and heart health?
The USDA and the Journal of Food Science shed some light on the Tannat wine - heart health connection by discussing the health boosting power of the polyphenols called procyanidins. They state that "procyanidins, which comprise a group of compounds [are] shown to possess numerous health benefits including protection against coronary heart disease, type II diabetes, and obesity." (Discover more)
Tannat wine is an excellent source of procyanidins, the polyphenols which help keep your arteries healthy by possessing these "numerous health benefits." Tannat varietal fruit contains 5 pips (seeds), while all of the other fine wine grapes normally contain just 2 or 3, thus the source of the high concentrations of the 4 key antioxidants found in red wines: polyphenols, procyanidins,flavenoids and resveratrol. These four primary antioxidant components are found in their greatest concentrations in Tannat wine.
According to Dr. Roger Corder, acclaimed author of the book "The RedWine Diet,” a glass of [decent Tannat] can often have 3 to 4 times more procyanidins than some cheap wines, and in some cases the difference may be 20 fold... If the consumer could readily identify these, then a more informed choice could be made when buying wine. I plan to put some effort into doing this over the next few years."
Other studies reflect similar theories about the health benefits of Tannat wine and red wines in general, causing some doctors to put the words "wine heart health" in the same sentence. (More about Tannat wine & heart health)
While
there is research that suggests that Tannat wine may offer greater
health benefits than others, and that the moderate consumption of Tannat
wine may contribute to better health, we are required to state
that these statements are made by the researchers and are not claims
made by GMS of Kentucky, Inc, the owners of the TanTerra brand family
of wines.
