The French Paradox - Revisited

You may be familiar with the concept of the French Paradox, especially if you are among those who appreciate wine and are fairly knowledgeable about it. The paradox─which generally means something that is the opposite of what it should be─refers to the irony that the French have a lower incidence of heart disease than Americans, despite having a diet far high in saturated fats.

In fact, data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) indicates that the French actually eat four times as much butter, 60% more cheese, and nearly three times as much pork as Americans.

The term French Paradox was coined in 1992 by Dr. Serge Renaud─a scientist from Bordeaux University in France─after he completed his study of French men observing that their incidence of heart disease was only 40% of that experienced by American men.

Dr. Renaud determined that moderate, daily wine consumption appeared to be the "key" to the Paradox, with his study finding that 2-3 glasses of wine per day wine reduced male death rates from all diseases by up to 30%.(1) Many other studies have provided strong evidence linking moderate alcohol consumption with a reduced risk of heart disease, which is still the leading cause of death for Americans.(2-7) In fact, drinking alcohol in moderation appears to reduce mortality from all causes by 30-50%.(8)

When 60 Minutes broadcast the French Paradox hypotheses in 1991, which was explained by both Dr. Renaud and Dr. R. Curtis Ellison of Boston University School of Medicine, the concept became an international phenomenon. Perhaps it’s no surprise that American wine consumption increased by over 40 percent as a result, which surely caused chuckles around French dinner tables.

What bears noting is that although these breakthroughs occurred decades ago, evidence has been mounting ever since to support the hypotheses that wine promotes a healthy heart, among other benefits. The bottom line? Enjoying wine in moderation in the context of whole foods, plant-based diet is arguably quite compatible with a healthy lifestyle.

References:

1 The Lancet, Volume 355, Issue 9197, Pages 48 - 48 B

2 Age Ageing. 2009 Mar;38(2):206-12. Epub 2009 Jan 7

3 BMJ. 1996 Mar 23;312(7033):731-6

4 BMJ. 1996 Aug 10;313(7053):365

5 ACP J Club. 1996 Sep-Oct;125(2):50-1

6 BMJ. 1996 Aug 10;313(7053):365-6

7 BMJ. 1996 Dec 14;313(7071):1555; author reply 1555-6.

8 BMJ Vol310May1995

The Benefits of Going “High Raw.”

In the world of raw vegan cuisine, the term “high raw” typically refers to someone who consumes mostly fresh plant foods with a smaller percentage of cooked items. A common ratio might be 75 percent raw to 25 percent cooked, though this could vary with the seasons. Consuming mostly raw foods—with the addition of cooked veggies, beans, legumes or grains on occasion—offers many advantages.

The most obvious benefit is that your diet is still centered around healthy whole plant foods, which deliver extraordinary health benefits on so many levels. But with the high raw approach, you have greater flexibility than eating 100 percent raw, especially while dining out or traveling. And you may even come out ahead on nutritional benefits. That’s because while some vitamins and minerals are damaged by heat, others are actually better absorbed, as the cooking process breaks apart plant cell walls.

That doesn’t mean cooking is the only way to access nutrients locked in the cellular matrix of plants, however. Juicing fresh produce can also break down these barriers, as can processing raw foods in a high-speed blender to make soups and smoothies. These techniques may also increase bioavailability, which refers to the proportion of a nutrient that is absorbed from the diet and used for normal body functions.

You really can have the best of both worlds. Take tomatoes for example. They are lovely when enjoyed fresh, and rich in vitamin C and other nutrients which are damaged by heat. But if you occasionally eat them cooked, you may absorb more of the lycopene they contain, which is powerful cancer-fighting carotenoid antioxidant.(1) Lycopene may be even more protective than other carotenoids in reducing your risk of many forms of cancer.(2) Raw food aficionados will love the fact that sun-dried tomatoes offered an even higher level of antioxidant protection than cooked tomatoes in one study.(3) Bottom line? Tomatoes are great for you no matter how you slice them, so eat up!

Let’s take another valiant veggie—broccoli. This cancer-fighter is certainly beneficial when lightly cooked, but appears to be even better for you when consumed raw. That’s because heat can damage enzymes in broccoli that help form sulforaphane, a naturally occurring isothiocyanate (plant chemical) found to be highly protective against not only a variety of cancers such as breast, prostate, colon, skin, lung, stomach or bladder, but also cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and diabetes.(4)

Nor is broccoli alone in conferring these admirable benefits. Other cruciferous veggies deliver them as well, including arugula, Bok choi, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, horseradish, kale, radishes, rutabagas, turnips, watercress, and more. How can you best enjoy these heroic veggies raw? Think colorful salads, Cole slaw, cauliflower “rice”, crudité platters with luscious dips and sauces, raw kale chips, or a huge plate of broccoli with your favorite raw hummus.

What about spinach? Here is another case where benefits occur with both raw and fresh. Chlorophyll-rich spinach is fantastic for you when consumed raw, offering rich levels of folate, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin, and potassium. However, if you enjoy it sautéed on occasion, that is beneficial too, as some research suggests that heat breaks down oxalic acid in spinach, a natural compound that can interfere with the absorption of calcium and iron.

You may prefer to eat 100 percent raw, but if you find the high raw approach to be more sustainable for you, by all means go with it. The larger point here is that higher vegetable consumption in general is linked with better health and lower risk of disease. So how about this? Eat whole plant foods, mostly raw, and seek variety. Here’s to your health!

References:

1 J.Agric. Food Chem., 2002, 50 (10), pp 3010–3014

2 Biomedicine (Taipei). 2016 Mar;6(1):2. doi: 10.7603/s40681-016-0002-8. Epub 2016 Feb 10.

3 Biomedicine (Taipei). 2016 Mar;6(1):2. doi: 10.7603/s40681-016-0002-8. Epub 2016 Feb 10.

4 Semin Oncol. 2016 Feb;43(1):146-53. doi: 10.1053/j.seminoncol.2015.09.013. Epub 2015 Sep 8.