What is the essence of the French paradox? The French eat a lot more saturated fat than the Americans, but have a lower incidence of cardiovascular disease. Now many scientists deny this paradox altogether, because it has been shown that the effect of saturated fat is not as noticeable as it was previously thought, others point to the peculiarities of medical statistics in France, still others believe that the reason is the difference in weight, and so on.
For the first time the term ” French paradox” was used in 1986 by the International Organization of Viticulture and Winemaking. But a special contribution to its popularity was made by Serge Renaud of the University of Bordeaux, a doctor, researcher and comes from a family of winemakers. In a TV show, he talked about extending life with a glass of red wine in his hand. Unsurprisingly, the next year, sales of French wines in the US soared 44%. In an interview, he said that his parents have been pouring wine for him since he was ten. But when Serge Renaud studied the ” Cretan miracle” ( low incidence of cardiovascular diseases in Crete, Mediterranean diet), the reason for the effect was not wine, but alpha-linolenic acid ( ALA).
Isolation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 44%
But those who looked for the causes of the paradox found them in completely different places. Some believed the cause was alcohol ( ethyl alcohol itself, resveratrol, other phenols of wine), others – the peculiarities of nutrition in France: lack of snacks and a diet, the use of high-quality whole local foods, a lot of vegetables and fruits, enough fish, little processed food, little Sahara. Provencal herbs, blue cheese, lack of guilt and a healthy attitude towards food are sometimes cited as the cause of the paradox.
Despite the positive effects of moderate alcohol consumption on the risk of cardiovascular disease, the cumulative long-term impact on overall health ( including cancer risk) is negative, and the risk increases even with a few glasses of wine per week. It is curious that the French over the past decades have begun to drink less wine by almost a third. At the same time, mortality from cardiovascular diseases also fell, and from cirrhosis of the liver began to die by 44% less.
In a recent study, scientists write about the Mediterranean pescetarian diet. It contains a lot of vegetables, herbs, nuts, extra virgin olive oil, whole grains ( emphasis on legumes), seeds, eggs. Noticeably less, compared to other pyramids, the content of meat and poultry, a moderate amount of dairy products, much less flour. Pescetarian means sea-based diet, where fish and seafood are the leading sources of protein. Extra virgin olive oil is the leading source of fat. In the study, the authors show that such a pyramid reduces mortality from cardiovascular diseases by 34%, improves the lipid profile, and reduces the risk of certain types of cancer. To make this work even better, the authors suggest combining such foods with a narrowing of the food window to 8-10 hours. I think if you add a move to a sunnier country, it works even better.
What does this mean for us? For health, it is not a single food that is more important, but dietary patterns that include diet, choice of whole quality foods, gentle cooking, moderate consumption, nutrient balance.
Latin American paradox
Besides French, there are a number of interesting health paradoxes. Latin American ( aka Hispanic paradox, Latino Epidemiological Paradox) was discovered back in 1986. Its essence lies in the better health of Hispanics living in the United States, compared with white Americans. And this despite the stress of immigration, low income, and low education.
Overall, Hispanics have a 24% lower risk of mortality, a lower risk of 9 out of 15 leading causes of death in the United States, a lower risk of cancer, and a longer life expectancy ( 81.8 versus 78.8). It is curious that children born in the United States to Hispanic mothers are also healthier – they have less mortality in the first weeks of life. But the longer Hispanics live in the United States, the more their health deteriorates, the 2nd and 3rd generations lose their benefits.
Some authors consider the key social characteristics – mutual support and strong large families, which are a distinctive part of Latin American culture. You can also recall the well-known Roseto phenomenon, when social well-being supported health. However, some authors dispute the paradox and try to explain it by other reasons: they say, the healthiest emigrate, and the sick return to their homeland ( Salmon Bias), distorting the numbers
What can we take useful for ourselves?
– Isolation increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by 44% and the risk of death from all causes by 47%. Family, friends, like-minded people, volunteering, active citizenship are healing.
– Legumes are wonderful and effective ( I write, having breakfast with lentils, mackerel and tomatoes). Their regular consumption reduces the risk of death from all causes by 8%, and from cardiovascular disease by 12%.
