Turns out it s the flavonoids in red wine, not the alcohol, that protect the French from their wicked cream sauces. To Your Health, An Encore for Red Wine by Paul Wolf Nature tends to forgive the Frenchman s love of rich sauces as long as he maintains his regular intake of red wine. Now we know why. Red wine is good for your arteries. Flavonoids, not alcohol, are good for your health.
Red wine has more flavonoids than white wine.
Alcohol-free red wine is even better. Here s to your health. It s not the alcohol, but rather the flavonoids that thin the effect of the rich, white sauces the French so love. These benefits help explain why the French have less cardiovascular disease than Americans even though they eat far more saturated fat and cholesterol. But before you thank researchers at University of California at Davis for solving the French Paradox, know that they also discovered that an alcohol-free wine substitute raised flavonoid levels higher and kept them in the bloodstream longer than did the red wine with its alcohol content intact.