This report from Harvard Medical School suggests that perhaps there IS a link between red wine consumption and the French ability to counteract the effects of eating high-fat foods.
Something we've suspected all along now may have a scientific explanation: the French Paradox could be attributed to something called Resveratrol, found in grape skins and in red wine. In the study, two groups of mice were fed high-fat diets, but one group was also given daily doses of resveratrol. The resveratrol group still put on weight but without the high glucose and insulin levels (diabetes precursors) and the mice's livers remained normal.
As an added bonus, the resveratrol extended the mice's lifespans considerably. As the article states, the resveratrol mice "had all the pleasures of gluttony but paid none of the price".
Of course, it's never THAT simple, is it. The mice still gained weight. But doesn't it give you a warm feeling inside to know that when you're enjoying that glass of beaujolais nouveau (just a few more weeks to wait, now!) you may be extending your lifespan and lowering your risk of heart disease and diabetes.
Still, all things in moderation, people. Thin alcoholics aren't much fun to be around, either.
