Elizabeth Fragopoulou
Harokopio University, Greece
Title: Cardioprotective effect of moderate wine consumption
Biography
Biography: Elizabeth Fragopoulou
Abstract
French paradox is the observation that the French suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. Several theories have been proposed in order to explain this phenomenon and several debates arose. One of them attributed this phenomenon to the regular and moderate consumption of wine in France. In this concept, many epidemiological studies confirm an inverse relationship between light to moderate wine consumption and cardiovascular events. Atherosclerosis, the underlying mechanism of cardiovascular diseases is a multifactorial process including several cellular and molecular alterations. Inflammation, thrombosis and oxidative stress are thought to play a crucial role in the onset and perpetuation of atherosclerosis. Under this perspective, clinical trials have been implemented in order to investigate the effect of acute or chronic wine consumption on biochemical markers associated with cardiovascular diseases. Among other pro-inflammatory and thrombotic mediators platelet-activating factor (PAF, 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) and oxidized-phospholipids have been proposed to play a crucial role in the initiation and prolongation of the atherosclerotic lesion. Therefore food compounds that inhibit PAF actions, namely PAF inhibitors, may have a dual role both in hemostatic system and inflammatory cascade. Our research team examined in vitro the effect of several red and white wines on PAF-induced platelet aggregation. The most potent ones were the red wine with main variety Cabernet Sauvignon and the white wine with main variety Rompola demonstrating that the variable of grape is important for the biological activity and not the color. In addition the consumption of these wines improved postprandial platelet sensitivity against PAF, independently of alcohol, in healthy volunteers. In conclusion, the moderate consumption of wine could have beneficial effect on human health due to the existence of wine micro-constituents. Since PAF is a potent mediator of inflammation and thrombosis, with a crucial role in the initiation and prolongation of the atherosclerotic lesion, the existence of PAF inhibitors in wine could partly explain the cardio-protective effect of moderate wine consumption.
