The French Paradox, the fact that the French eat a diet high in saturated fat but have a low incidence of coronary artery diseases, has been known for a long time. The French diet should normally increase the incidence of coronary artery diseases, not lower it. The suggested explanation for the paradox has been the high consumption of red wine in France.

While alcohol normally increases your blood pressure, red wine has been proved to contain substances that lower the risk of heart diseases. As an additional bonus, red wine also contains substances that slow down ageing process. When the French Paradox was reported in the US back in 1991, the sales of red wine increased by almost 45 percent. White wine is produced in a different way and does not have the same positive health effects as its red colleague.

So how much is a healthy daily consumption of wine? Medical experts give a wide range of answers. Some don’t believe that red wine has any positive effect at all. But most research seems to confirm that one glass of wine a day can be good. Some push it towards two glasses, at least for men. The larger you are the more you can drink, smaller people are generally recommended to stick to one glass wine a day or less.

No medical expert recommends non-drinkers to start drinking red wine for health reasons. If you are drinking wine, it should be for pleasure. But it can be nice to known that in moderate quantities red wines can have some positive health effects as a bonus.

It’s worth remembering that while the French have a lower incidence of coronary artery disease they also have one of the highest rates of cirrhosis of the liver in the world. The latter is often caused by excessive drinking of alcohol. So once again, drink and enjoy your wine in moderation.

If you suffer from hypertension, trying more traditional remedies such as relaxation, physical activity and slow breathing, is a safer way of reducing your blood pressure.

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When polyphenols including Resveratrol, Quercetin, and red wine grape extracts are concentrated into a daily tablet equivalent to over 100 Bottles of red wine (400 – 1000 mg) or more, there is one immediate question, is it safe?

Indeed, scientists who study these nutraceutical supplements have and are continuing to use similar scientific research techniques to those used in the pharmaceutical industry to evaluate their potential health benefits and safety.

In 2002, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences commissioned a report entitled, “Trans-resveratrol Review of Toxicological Literature.” A review of more than 200 referenced scientific studies were included, and the report stated that there were no reported adverse effects from Resveratrol on humans.

Animal studies have used the human-equivalent of over 1,000 mg (10 mg/kg of bodyweight) of Resveratrol, and have shown no toxic effects. Massive dosage studies were also performed on animals. “The no observed adverse affect level (NOAEL) was 300 mg/kg/day,” which would be a human dosage of 30,000 mg or 10 – 100 times the maximum concentrations contained in human high-concentration oral nutraceutical dosages.

Human studies also confirm the safety of Resveratrol in highly concentrated forms. Studies including those at Marywood University, University of Leicester (UK) and University of Michigan, etc. all found no significant side effects and no evidence of toxicity.

Personally, members of our company have taken 2,000 mg of Resveratrol and red wine grape extracts for extended periods with no side effects.

Many nutraceutical manufacturing plants are certified by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration), TGA (Australia’s FDA Certification), NSF, USP (US Pharmacopia), etc. (be sure to check company’s websites for such information).

According to Dr. Joseph Maroon, in his recent book, The Longevity Factor, How Resveratrol and Red Wine Activate Genes for a Longer and Healthier Life (page 198) “Having seen both a pharmaceutical manufacturing plant and a dietary supplement facility I am assured that the manufacturing standards are virtually identical.”

High quality Resveratrol supplements have been on the market since the year 2000, and numerous patients, companies and doctors have reported their safety.

NOTE: Of course, any side-effects experienced as a result of taking Resveratrol, Quercetin, red wine grape extracts, or any other nutraceutical supplements should be reported to the manufacturer, and to your doctor.