FRENCH: HIGH FAT AND LOW-HEART ATTACK RATE

Report #7277

French farmers and Greek and Italian peasants have a low incidence of heart attacks, even though they eat a lot of fat. It's probably not wine that protects the farmers or olive oil that protects the peasants.

The low incidence of heart attacks in the French farmers is often attributed to the wine with its resvaretol and the Greeks and Italians to their olive oil with its monounsaturated fats, but they also eat lots of fruits and vegetables that are loaded with folic acid and pyridoxine. Having low blood levels of these vitamins increases your chances of having a heart attack by causing a protein building block called homocysteine to accumulate in your bloodstream and plug arteries. Fruits and vegetables also contain far more disease- preventing chemicals than wine and olives. Peppers contain capsaicin, Citrus fruits contain coumarins, berries, peppers, carrots, tomatoes contain flavinoids, tomatoes and lots of fruits contain lycopenes, Garlic, onions, chives contain S-allycysteine, Licorice contain triterpenoids, Barley, wheat, flaxseed contain lignins, Cabbages contain indoles and isothiocyanates and Beans, peas and lentils contain genistein.

Many studies have shown that heart attacks and cancers can be prevented by flaxseed, chocolate, broccoli, curry powder, ginseng, olive and fish oils and so forth. Eating lots of fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and cereals may be more important than just reducing your intake of fat.

By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News