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The scientific evidence to support the French Paradox has continued to grow over the years. Dr. Curtis Ellison, from Boston University's School of Medicine and Dr. Serge Renaud, from France's health research health agency INSERM, were founders of the research surrounding the French Paradox. Both scientists found that with similar fat intake, France's heart attack rate was one-third less than that of Americans. It was concluded that this was attributed to the French custom of drinking red wine with their meals that is a custom in France. At VinExpo, the wine industry trade show held in Bordeaux France, Dr. Ellison's research was presented that abstinence from wine is a major risk for coronary heart disease (Perdue). Their research has further supported the French Paradox. The antioxidants found wine are also responsible for the good health observed by the French.
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.