The Heart of the Matter

A landmark conference held in the Napa Valley in February brought together some of the world’s top scientists, winemakers, journalists, and connoisseurs to discuss both the pleasures and the health benefits of wine.

The Third International Wine & Heart Health Summit explored the latest research on the effects of wine on the cardiovascular system and other aspects of human biology, led by a faculty of physicians, epidemiologists, and research scientists from such institutions as Harvard Medical School and the University of Copenhagen. Wine biology, wine tasting, and wine appreciation were also on the agenda at the three-day symposium.

The symposium’s scientific papers included a study of the role of moderate wine consumption on preventing cardiovascular disease. It was authored by Dr. Tedd M. Goldfinger, director of the Wine & Heart Health Research Initiative of the Desert Heart Foundation, which sponsored the summit.

Dr. Goldfinger’s paper noted that interest in wine’s impact on cardiac health accelerated in the wake of a 1992 study highlighting the so-called French Paradox: namely, the fact that mortality rates due to coronary heart disease are far lower in France than in the United States despite similarly high consumption of saturated fats. The 1992 study showed that the effects of fat in the diet appear to be counteracted by greater intake of wine.

One reason for this effect, Dr. Goldfinger noted, may be resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wines that inhibits certain leukocytes that are believed to contribute to heart disease. In essence, this polyphenol may blunt inflammatory responses within the heart. Other polyphenols found in red wine seem to inhibit the proliferation of smooth muscle cells that can lead to the formation of atherosclerotic lesions.
Dr. Goldfinger’s paper concluded that “the growing scientific interest in wine and better health is part of adopting a healthy lifestyle that connects our society with nature, to sustain and enhance human life.”

The summit also discussed the effects of wine and other alcohol consumption on cancer risk and hypertension, the physiology of wine tasting, and the dominance of physicians in the wine industry of Australia, where an estimated 60 percent of all wine grapes are processed by wineries run by doctors.

Wine history had a place in the symposium curriculum as well. Warren Winiarski of Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars presented a history of the 1976 Paris tasting (see page 2) and how it spurred the rise of American wines to the top of the world market. “Great French wines helped inspire the rise of fine winemaking in the United States, and now the ‘French Paradox’ is increasing Americans’ interest in wine as a mealtime beverage,” Warren said afterwards. “The information about the biology and chemistry of wine presented at the summit was fascinating. There is always more to learn about wine, and here is yet another aspect of its complexity that we are just beginning to understand.”

Dr. Tedd Goldfinger, DO, FACC, Chairman, 3rd International
Wine and Heart Health Summit, President, Desert Heart