Le French Connection - Brief Article

Vegetarian Times, March, 2000 by Abigail Chipley

For years, the French have mystified and fascinated researchers with their apparent ability to consume a diet rich in fat while evading heart disease. This phenomenon, known as the French Paradox, has been the subject of countless studies, not to mention the envy of the rest of the world. And although heart disease is the leading cause of death in France, that country's heart disease rate is still less than half that of America's.

Now two British researchers, Malcolm Law, M.D., and Nicholas Wald, M.D., are warning that it may be just a matter of time before the French catch up to the Americans and the British on that front. Their theory, published in the British Medical Journal (May 1999), is simple: Because the French have only recently started to consume the high-fat diet that Americans and Britons have indulged in for decades, they have yet to experience the full effects of cardiovascular disease on their population.

When we think of French cuisine, pate, fois gras and rich cheeses come to mind. But the reality is that the French ate significantly less fat than their Yank and Brit counterparts until the 1970s, when these foods became more commonplace. The British researchers theorize that because the effect of an increase in fat consumption could take at least 25 years to affect heart disease statistics, the French may now be on the brink of an epidemic.

Yet some researchers believe other features of the French diet may be protecting them against heart disease. Meir Stampfer, M.D., and Eric Rimm, M.D., of the Harvard School of Public Health, point out in their published commentary on the study that the French consume 2 to 3 times more fiber from grains than do Americans or Britons, a behavior that several recent studies have linked to decreased risk of heart disease. Nuts, rich in the unsaturated fats that prevent plaque buildup, are consumed in abundance in France, while they are shunned by many Americans who consider them too high in fat. And the French have always eaten their vegetables: in particular, folate-rich vegetables like dark leafy greens, which have been associated with reduced risk for heart disease.

Though the British researchers are quick to dismiss the much-hyped protective effect of red wine on French arteries, citing evidence that beer and spirits have proven just as effective as wine in raising protective HDL cholesterol, Stampfer thinks the French are still doing something right. "The French tradition of drinking wine slowly with meals is conducive to moderate consumption--of both food and wine," he says.

The fact is, the French simply eat less than Americans--their portion sizes remain one-third to one-half that of American servings. As a result, only 8 percent of French are obese while a full 30 percent of Americans have earned this dubious distinction.

Meanwhile, the French are learning all the wrong lesions from us. Snacking is increasingly routine over there and more family meals come in cardboard boxes. It may only be a matter of time.