DATE: Wednesday, March 19, 1997             TAG: 9703180075

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F2   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE:    M.F. Onderdonk

                                            LENGTH:   37 lines

CAN WINE REALLY HELP YOUR HEALTH?

AMERICA IS increasingly turning her nose up at alcohol. Too often it is abused, too often with devastating consequences. Meanwhile, however, a growing body of evidence suggests that moderate alcohol consumption may actually have positive health benefits. And wine lovers in particular are urging society to adopt a more European perspective on the blood of the grape - that moderate consumption of wine, in conjunction with food, is good for you.

Whether turning the tide or simply bucking a trend, these voices from the vineyards are being heard more and more. Wine's heart- healthiness is at the center of the so-called ``French Paradox'' of a ``60 Minutes'' program, which aired in November of 1991. Morley Safer documented how, despite a rate of fat consumption considerably higher than that of Americans, the French have a lover rate of heart disease. The broadcast advanced the theory that the drinking of red wine is what accounts for this ``French paradox.'' It sent Americans scrambling for red wine. Some wine writers believe that the craze for merlot, in particular, may be traced back to that broadcast.

But the theory was by no means new. It appeared as early as 1979 in the medical journal Lancet. Today, ongoing research, such as that by the ODU Enological Research Facility, is addressing such connections between wine and health as the following:

Polyphenolics, found in the stems, skins and seeds of grapes - particularly red grapes - may act as free-radical scavengers, or antioxidants. They could play a role in preventing a variety of illnesses, particularly heart disease. They may also have an anti-aging effect.

Trans-resveratrol, an anti-fungal agent found in the skins of wine, may inhibit the growth of tumors, particularly in breast and prostate cancers.

Moderate consumption of alcohol - up to two drinks a day - may decrease the risk of stroke and heart disease. The latter view is endorsed in dietary guidelines of the American Heart Association.

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