FRENCH PARADOX-RED WINE VS BLUE CHEESE

French people are supposed to be the most healthy in Europe and this phenomenon has been extrapolated so far to their prolific consumption of Red Wine which is supposed to contain that magical organic substance Resveratrol. The anti-aging properties of this chemical has been well documented though there is no unanimity about such claims. To add to this confusion another group of scientists now claim that it is not the Red Wine alone that is responsible for the good health of French population but prolific consumption of specialty cheeses like Roquefort and Camembert may also be a factor that has to be reckoned with for this phenomenon. Here is a take on this new findings which need to be confirmed with more intensive and focused studies.

Blue cheese which are famous include Roquefort, Gorgonzola and Blue Stilton which are produced extensively in Europe though France and Italy have their own branded blue cheese products popular locally. why is that blue cheese is called so, though all cheeses are made from white milk? Obviously because of the distinct ble or bluish grey or bluish green tint appearing on the surface of these varieties as a result of growth of the mold Pencillium Roqueferti introduced either before curdling or after cheese is made. Incidentally Roquerfort is a town in France where this product originated and abundance caves in this area with high density of the mold had helped the people there to ripen cheese in an atmosphere containing the natural mold. Though products made here are still considered as genuine, modern technology has enabled the dairy industry to make blue cheese under controlled temperature and humidity conditions optimal for the growth of this mold.

For those uninitiated to eating of cheese, blue cheese can be a disaster because of its putrid like sharp smell, caused by the metabolites of the mold as well as the bacterial species present. Brevibacterium  linens commonly present also contributes to the characteristic flavor and taste of blue cheese. World production of all types of cheese is estimated to be around 20 million tons with the US accounting for more than 30% of the production. Interestingly the US is not the top consumer of cheese and countries like Greece and France boast of annual per capita consumption rates of 32 kg and 27 kg respectively. Compare this with the wine consumption rate in these countries to get a clearer picture of the effect of high cheese consumption and wine drinking. While France's per capita annual consumption of wine is a whopping 8 liters, that in Greece or America is way down compared to that of France.

The so called French paradox refers to the unusually healthy status of French population in spite of very high consumption of Cheese, a rich source of saturated fat supposed to a deciding factor in cardiac disease and in contrast America has the highest obesity and other food related disorders among all countries in the world! Whether the high consumption of cheese and wine is responsible for the sound health of the population there is a matter of deduction. Probably more studies are required to come to any meaningful conclusion to this surmise. There is no doubt that Cheese is a healthy food viewed from any angle being rich in Calcium and Protein of very high quality though the high saturated fat content may be a negative trait. Whether cheese fat really is atherosclerogenic is a disputable issue because the milk fat, called Ghee in India is extensively consumed for centuries without much damage to the consumers.

According to some scientists the process that occurs as the cheese ripens into blue cheese is considered good for a healthy gut, slowing arthritis, and arresting the ageing process. Interestingly blue cheese exerted its effect most efficiently in acidic environments, such as the lining of the stomach. As the cheese has significant anti-inflammatory properties, its regular consumption suggests regular consumption can potentially ward off heart diseases that are so common these days. Compared to regular cheese, mold ripened versions like Roquefort, Camembert and other fermented cheeses seemed to have some metabolites possessing the unique ability to counteract the debilitating factors that lead to such diseases. It is a fact that France has the lowest rate of cardiovascular mortality in the developed world. The empirical observation correlating heart disease incidences with blue cheese consumption may spur future research efforts to isolate, identify and extract active principles excreted by the Pencillium species in products like blue veined cheeses.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

   

BOILED PEANUTS- GOOD FOR LONGEVITY?-A REALITY CHECK!

Peanuts are nutritionally a much acclaimed food with high levels of protein, fat, fiber and some micro nutrients. The "war of nuts" between peanut and soybean for market supremacy has given prominence to both these oil seeds though the protein in peanut is always looked down because of low levels of the essential amino acid Lysine present in this oil seed. In contrast peanut oil has much better stability as a cooking oil while soybean oil is more nutritious because of higher content of unsaturated fats. As a food peanut is a main stream component of diets in India and a few other countries. Soybean is invariably called the "cow of the orient" because of the popularity of soy milk among people in South East Asia. With relatively low consumption of animal milk in many Asian countries, soybean milk presents itself as a highly acceptable alternative. Industrially peanut lags behind soybean which is used extensively to manufacture hundreds of products with high consumer acceptability. Meat substitutes made from soybean are relatively cheap and are considered poor man's meat with almost same texture.

Peanut is consumed at the consumer level as snack items and products like roasted, coated and fried peanut snacks are popular in many countries. Confectionery products made from peanuts, called "Chikkis" using Jaggery or sugar are produced in India by thousands of cottage scale units working in the informal sector. Soybean takes a beating on this score as its major use is confined to extraction of oil and using the residue in animal feed formulations. Soybean curd or Toffu is a favored item liked by Asians and is becoming popular like cheese in other countries also. The processing methods are distinctively different with these two crops. While peanut seeds are processed in Expeller presses followed by solvent extraction, soybean, due to its low oil content goes straight for solvent extraction and refining. 

Peanuts hit the headlines recently because of the claims made by some scientific groups that it is rich in a rare phytochemical Resveratrol with supposed credentials for achieving longevity. It was a news because a major source of Resveratrol was red wine about which lot has been written. While Red wine contains this chemical in the range of 0.2 to 12.59 mg per liter, raw Peanut has less than 2 mg per kg. What caught the attention of the world was that the same peanut when boiled increased its Resveratrol level to about 9 mg per kg. However such arithmatic jugglery cannot conceal the fact that while wine can be easily consumed one or two glasses a day, it is unimaginable that one can eat 300 gm of peanut a day to deliver the same quantity. Also not understandable is the loud claims being made about the capability of Resveratrol to prolong life without any human trials so far. At best this phytochemical has been proved to be helpful in keeping at bay diseases like cancers, diabetes etc only in animal experiments. Probably sensationalism and vested commercial interests seem to be floating such claims with practically no scientific basis.

It is true that nature has equipped many plants with toxic chemicals for fighting against pathogens and  other marauders and Resveratrol present mostly in the skin of fruits like Red grapes is a proven fighter against bacteria and fungi. Interestingly, during wine production the pomace, rich in Resveratrol is discarded and only a small portion of this chemical is passed on to the juice. Therefore it makes more sense to eat fresh grapes or drink crushed grape juice than the wine to get full benefit of the fruit's Resveratrol content. Is it not a commercial ploy by the wine industry to tout about the ability of wine to prolong life? Same appears to be true in the case of peanuts also as consumption of this oil seed directly as food is limited and a major portion goes for recovery of edible oil leaving the residue for feeding cattle. Whether Resveratrol is more concentrated in the pressed residue or in the oil fraction is some what not clear but refined peanut oil

definitely cannot be a source because of the severe refining process the raw oil has to go through under which Resveratrol cannot be expected to be stable.

Another side of Resveratrol story is still more fascinating. It concerns about its solubility, biological absorption and metabolism. Being practically insoluble in water delivery of Resveratrol to the cells is fraught with many uncertainties. Buccal delivery (by chewing in the mouth) is supposed to be some what better and based on this finding by some scientists, chewing gum formulations containing Resveratrol are already in some markets. Oral ingestion is supposed to be very inefficient with not even 5% of the administered quantity ending up in the blood stream. Both small intestine and liver are known to conjugate Resveratrol into glucuronate and sulfonate, both inactive in any way. Synthetic versions and bio-technologically made products are available but due to uncertainty about the real effect of Resveratrol in human body, no approved drug formulations have been marketed though some major drug companies are reported to be investing in this area with the hope of coming out with a successful product eventually. If they succeed humanity may have an effective drug that can counteract many diseases including cancers, severe inflammation, diabetes and cardiovascular aberrations. 

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WINE "THERAPY" FOR DIABETES CONTROL-WHAT IS THE LOGIC?

There has been lot of excitement amongst those unfortunate people affected by the silent killer disease Diabetes, by the recent bold declaration by scientists from a university in Vienna that wine drinking is more effective in controlling diabetes than the popular drug Rosiglitazone. Probably more than the patients the wine industry would have rejoiced over this claim because of potential increase in business that can be gained, if such a development is accepted universally. Well researched studies have brought to surface the empirical relationship between red wine consumption and a host of diseases including diabetes though conclusive evidence through human studies is yet to emerge. The beneficial effect of consuming moderate amounts of alcoholic beverages is an issue of discussion even to day and there appears to be some agreement regarding the ability of alcohol in dilating arteries and preventing potential clot formation that can result in myocardial infraction and cerebral stroke. The new claim purported to be based on limited studies may deserve some attention and if confirmed can open up a plethora of possibilities in evolving treating regimes for diabetes radically different from that prevalent at present.

Red grapes form an important base for manufacture of the famous red wines and there are are many varieties used for making different type of wines that flood the market. Though its alcoholic content is relatively low compared to hard liquor preparations, still the wines can contribute to calories because of the alcohol as well as sugar present in them. While many doctors find it useful for their patients to consume limited quantity of wine regularly from the health view, over centuries of history wine has captured a unique place in Christianity and amongst party goers. Socially women do not consider wine as an alcoholic beverage and on many special occasions consume wine while the men opt for hard liquors like whiskey, brandy, rum, gin, vodka etc. Attempts in India to exempt sale of wines from the purview of Excise Duty control are based on the perception that increasing production of grapes do not find adequate market and value addition through wine making can be economically rewarding.

Presence of polyphenols, antioxidants and other phytochemicals like flavonoids in red grapes makes it an exceptionally potent therapeutic material that can deal with health problems caused by oxyradicals generated in human body. The anti aging chemical Resveratrol present in wines from grapes is touted as a wonder substance that will benefit mankind in a big way. But the anti-diabetic activity attributed to red wine is presumed to be due to the action of epicatechin gallate and ellagic acid. Also during wine fermentation, it is common to add grape tannins and Oak tannins to boost the antioxidant activity. Red wines, when consumed regularly, are supposed to be helpful against many health afflictions like heart attack, anemia, blindness, some cancer types, high cholesterol levels and high blood pressure conditions. It requires in-depth assessment of hard evidence being offered by some scientific studies for such claims before they can be universally accepted.

In diabetes high and fluctuating sugar levels in the blood need to be prevented to avoid serious consequences like tiredness, heart disease, strokes, blindness, irreversible nerve damage and kidney disease. According to the evidence offered by the Vienna scientists, chemical substances present in red wine some how bind the specific protein, Peroxisome Proliferator Activated Receptor Gamma (PPAR-Gamma) which is present in many tissues in the body primarily involved in development of fat cells, energy storage and in controlling lipid and glucose level in the blood. Such binding results in reduced fat and glucose in the blood and a 100 ml serving of red wine has sufficient chemicals to bind PPAR-Gamma 4 times more effectively than that achieved by Rosiglitazone. That is equivalent to 1.8 to 18 mg of this diabetic drug. What is missing from this study is regarding the identity of the chemical (s) in red grapes responsible for this phenomenon. Also not clear is whether this chemical is present only in wine or in the raw grapes also. The inability of many polyphenolic substances to get across the intestine into the blood and act on PPAR-Gamma complicates the scenario further.

It appears the way wine is consumed will make a difference as fast gulping does not confer some of the benefits claimed because the absorption of the active substance into the blood is 100 times more efficient through the mucus membrane in the mouth when the wine is consumed slowly with more resident time in the mouth. Some of the critics feel that the calorie contribution by the wine far outweighs the benefit of presumed reduction of glucose. One of the mysteries of this claim is the role of alcohol in contributing to the benefits adduced to wine. Grapes have plenty of poly phenolic materials and same is true with a beverage like green tea. Grapes also contain yeast when harvested and further yeast is used for alcoholic fermentation. Reservatrol is known to be a product derived from yeast and therefore raw grapes will not have the benefits attributed to wines. Whether same applies to the chemical (s) that bind PPAR Gamma is some thing that is not clear to day.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com