Wine and Poses

...What's more, the French aren't exactly regular drinkers: according to a 1990 industry survey, only 28 percent of Frenchmen and 11 percent of Frenchwomen who drink wine do so every day...

...In July 1992, "60 Minutes" rebroadcast "The French Paradox" segment...

...A well-known wine lover, Safer cited a number of dietary factors to explain the paradox...

...It's also not entirely clear that it's the alcohol in wine that helps the heart...

...Figuring out what does constitute moderate drinking can be treacherous...

...Wine and Poses How a publicity-smart alcohol industry convinced Bill Clinton, "60 Minutes," and a lot of Americans that booze is good for you by Ben Sherwood It was the crowning moment of American Wine Appreciation Week...

...The ad noted that the French passion for fatty foods "seems to be counteracted by their drinking of French red wine...

...From much of the media coverage and the industry's promotional efforts, non-drinkers might be encouraged to start drinking—when regular exercise, quitting smoking, losing weight, and stress management are clearer paths to better health...

...David N. Whitten of the University of California at San Francisco Medical School, who worked briefly as a wine industry consultant...

...Wine (red or white) appears to be the best "medicine," but spirits and beer also seem to have a protective effect...

...60 Minutes, he says, neglected to report that the French are at higher risk of dying in accidents (almost five times greater in the case of women) and suicides...

...Louis to the wine cellars of Sonoma, the sound of popping corks and clinking glasses should have been deafening...

...Reducing the risk of developing coronary artery disease, for example, may be offset by the risk of developing another alcohol-related condition...

...It was 12-minutes-and-45-seconds, some say, that saved the alcohol industry...

...They provide no guidance to the consumer as to who should drink, and when, where, and how much to drink...

...Sure, it might have been a swell party if we could all tipple our way to a longer, fitter life...

...Enoch Gordis, director of the NIAAA...

...Only cranks and killjoys could quibble with the industry's position that well-informed consumers should make their own choices...

...The French also die of cirrhosis and chronic liver disease at almost twice the rate of Americans...

...Per capita annual consumption of ethanol—the substance that makes you drunk—dropped dur22 The Washington Monthly/May 1993 ing that period from 2.76 gallons to 2.43 gallons...

...So what's the bottom line...

...Both cancers are linked to drinking...

...Despite a federal law which prohibits any representation that wine has "curative or therapeutic effects," many vintners did everything they could to capitalize on the report...

...By 1984, all 50 states had raised their legal drinking age from 18 to 21...

...82-billion-a-year alcoholic beverage industry had reason to rejoice: A health-conscious president had endorsed—or come very close to recommending—drinking in moderation...

...Of course, coronary artery disease is a far greater killer than these other illnesses, but Lindner believes drinkers should know the possible tradeoffs...

...Naturally, industry spokesmen make the compelling argument that consumers should be given all the facts and make up their own minds about moderate drinking...

...Yes, French red wine...

...A little alcohol is good for you, a lot of it is bad," says Dr...

...You might have expected Clinton's comments to provoke some protest...

...And the list goes on...

...Clinton interrupted, noting appreciatively that he had "reached the age that when all this health data comes out, I want to take another glass of wine...

...Geyser peak From the heart of Sonoma County Call 800-255-WINE for retail information Geyser Peak Winery, Trione Vineyards, Geyservillc, CA son is in the dose...

...These are emotionally appealing but ambiguous phrases...

...at the enthusiastic way the wine trade seized on the piece...

...Again, Clinton deflected talk of new taxes on alcohol by touting the benefits of drinking...

...Four years later, Congress mandated warning labels on alcoholic beverages...

...And those who already drink too much might rationalize their habit or addiction...

...Even Dr...

...Beer was described as a "magic elixir that fights diseases, aging and obesity...

...But the pro24 The Washington Monthly/May 1993 gram left the clear impression that wine was the magic potion consumed by absolutely everyone—even kids...

...Besides preventing tooth decay and being "safer than water," the Sun article stated: "Beer is a treasure house of essential vitamins and minerals, and contains ingredients that fight cancer, high blood pressure, cardiovascular diseases, kidney stones and arthritis...

...Several days later, the president sat for an interview with MTV News correspondent Tabitha Soren...

...An alcohol-related family problem strikes one of every four American homes...

...Purple grape juice, for instance, contains more resveratrol—a compound in wine thought to lower cholesterol levels in blood—than many wines...

...Ernest P. Noble, director of UCLA's Alcohol Research Center...

...An estimated 35 percent of all hospital beds are occupied by people who are there because of alcohol-related problems...

...As many as 10.5 million Americans show signs of alcoholism or alcohol dependence and another 7.2 million show persistently heavy drinking patterns associated with impaired health or social functioning, according to the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence...

...But the Marin Institute for the Prevention of Alcohol and Other Drug Problems sums up the situation succinctly: "If you don't drink, there is no health reason to start...

...Alcohol may interact harmfully with more than 100 prescription and over-the-counter medications...

...And the industry waits...

...Not true...

...And according to a recent University of California at Davis study, these non-alcoholic compounds (known as phenolics) may have an important anti-oxi-dant effect in the body that prevents narrowing of the arteries and the formation of blood clots...

...will be in an alcohol-related crash in their lifetimes...

...A man weighing 140 pounds might attain the BAC level of 0.05 percent after two drinks...

...Faced with this dropping consumption the industry needed help...

...While alcohol may play some role, nutrition experts say there could be plenty of other dietary reasons for France's proportionately lower heart disease rate...

...At least if you use it in moderation, there's no evidence that it causes harm," said the president, who drinks infrequently...

...In a 1990 issue of Epidemiology, Ellison wrote a controversial editorial suggesting that American men who want to reduce their risk of heart disease (and who do not have a bleeding tendency and are not at increased risk of alcohol abuse) "might consider the advantages of washing down [their] aspirin with a glass of cabernet...

...Beringer Vineyards of St...

...The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (BATF) squashed the ad since it made an explicit therapeutic claim...

...On February 25, a 42-person delegation from the Wine Institute met with President Bill Clinton just outside the East Room of the White House...

...In fact, over the last decade, the number of French non-drinkers grew from 38.7 percent in 1980 to a majority of 50.7 percent in 1990...

...There's nothing else that comes close" in reducing the risk of heart disease, he adds...

...But the magic moment—the enduring image—of the "60 Minutes" piece was when Safer hoisted a glass of red wine and looked into the camera: "So the answer to the riddle, the explanation of the paradox, may lie in this inviting glass...

...The lack of outcry reflects the stunning success of the alcohol industry's shrewd campaign in recent years to repackage booze as health food...

...Per person annual wine consumption in the U.S...

...The alcohol industry turned to a slew of studies dating back to the early seventies suggesting that moderate drinkers face a 25 to 50 percent lower risk of coronary artery disease or heart attack than nondrinkers...

...Each year, the federal and state governments spend millions combating alcoholism, alcohol abuse, and drunk driving...

...Supermarket tabloids caught on...

...The poll also showed that 58 percent of Americans were aware of research linking moderate drinking to lower rates of heart disease...

...Alcoholism and related problems cost the nation between $86 and $116 billion a year...

...Fortunately, most of the promotion was very seemly...

...The most important of all, he suggested, was wine...

...What's more, people might easily misinterpret the news and continue eating unhealthy foods while trying to cancel the risk with beer or wine...

...For balance, Ellison of Boston University was interviewed, describing the health benefits of moderate drinking while soberly noting that "we're all very much aware of the tremendous problem of alcohol abuse...

...In fact, a study in the November 1992 issue of The Milbank Quarterly, a health care policy journal, found that recent moderate drinking campaigns undermine important public health messages and may encourage consumption...

...1,000 pints of lite The eighties were not banner years for the alcohol industry...

...Sure enough, red wine sales shot up 49 percent over the previous year...

...In fact, heart disease is France's number one killer, accounting for 30 percent of all deaths...

...That message isn't wrong—it's merely a fraction of the truth...

...It went on: "Moderate consumption of French red wine —one to three glasses per day with your meals—flushes away these platelets, clearing the arteries...

...If you're a middle-aged American man, your chances of dying of a heart attack are three times greater than a Frenchman of the same age...

...Moderate consumption, for instance, increases the risk of strokes caused by bleeding (although it reduces the risk of strokes caused by blocked blood vessels...

...It's extremely subtie and very clever," says Dr...

...The exact mechanism is unknown, but there are several theories: Moderate drinking may lower "bad" LDL cholesterol levels in the blood while raising "good" HDL cholesterol levels...

...The group of California winemakers had come to lobby against possible "sin" taxes on alcohol meant to help pay for the administration's health care reforms...

...Second, there's the vexing problem of defining moderate drinking...

...After years of bad news about sagging consumption and inhibiting regulations, the Ben Sherwood is an investigative producer with ABC News' "PrimeTime Live...

...Over the past few years, the good news about booze spread fast...

...With flash bulbs popping, Wine Institute President John A. De Luca told the 46-year-old Clinton about recent medical research revealing potential health benefits from moderate alcohol consumption...

...The bottom line is, do you trust the American people to handle this information...

...Average annual wine, beer, and liquor consumption fell from a high in 1980 of 42.8 gallons per adult to 38.9 gallons in 1989...

...For his efforts, Safer was honored in France with a special "communication" prize from LVMH Moet Hennessy-Louis Vuitton, the champagne, liquor, and luxury goods giant...

...The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has tried: "Moderate drinking may be defined as drinking that does not generally cause problems, either for the drinker or for society...

...They can mean almost anything one wants them to mean...

...Grapes, grape juice, and raisins may be every bit as good for your ticker as a glass of Burgundy...

...We don't have any drugs that are as good as alcohol," says Dr...

...Studying the beer industry's "responsible" campaigns, the journal noted that "brewers have used vague slogans and other advertising strategies that fail to define 'moderate' drinking and have overlooked the fact that certain people should avoid alcohol consumption altogether...

...While the Beer Institute tallies its numbers, the grim picture of alcohol abuse in this country is already well known...

...Finally, France has a higher rate of alcohol abuse than the U.S...

...Asked about the frenzied reaction to his report, Safer claimed he was "a little uneasy...

...around 2.05 gallons) ranks among the lowest of any wine-producing nation...

...Geyser Peak Winery of Geyserville, California, ran an ad that said: "As age enhances wine, wine enhances age...

...The president grinned, beating his chest, thump, thump, thump, like a healthy heart...

...For starters, from all the press coverage, you might think the French eat all the wrong things and get away with it...

...In the Sun, a blowout on beer took top billing on the front page...

...The segment, produced by John Tiffin, examined possible explanations —including the consumption of red wine—for why the French, despite their fatty pates, rich sauces, and buttery pastries, have a lower rate of heart disease than Americans...

...It is the ultimate rehab story: The slumping industry capitalized on legitimate research suggesting that small amounts of alcohol may protect a regular drinker from coronary artery disease and even have a prolonging effect on life...

...TO YOUR HEALTH...

...Two out of every five people in the U.S...

...Across the country, posters appeared almost overnight in wine shops, saying "YOU SAW IT ON TV...

...So why is it," Safer began, "that the French, who eat 30 percent more fat than we do, suffer Drunk Jiving: One vineyard offers some not-so-subtle medical advice May 1993/The Washington Monthly 23 fewer heart attacks, even though they smoke more and exercise less...

...There are tradeoffs involved in each decision about drinking," says Dr...

...There has been for years the belief by doctors in many countries that alcohol, in particular red wine, reduces the risk of heart disease," Safer said, adding, "Now it's been all but confirmed...

...Despite President Clinton's comments on MTV, even small amounts of alcohol can cause harm...

...In the month after the report, red wine sales in supermarkets jumped 44 percent over the same period in the previous year, amounting to a 524,000 gallon increase (equal to 2.6 million bottles...

...By February 1992, most Americans had gotten the message...

...It's when the industry starts prescribing alcohol that one has to wonder...

...Food and Wines from France, the French quasi-gov-ernment operation that promotes Gallic products overseas, placed full-page ads in a number of newspapers...

...Sour grapes The repackaging of alcohol as a health food also raises questions about the industry's motives...

...says John De Luca of the Wine Institute...

...And the next day, people began buying and drinking...

...R. Curtis Ellison, an epidemiologist at the Boston University School of Medicine, who has received funding from the industry...

...60 Minutes" was the highest rated program on television that week, with an estimated 33.7 million people tuned in...

...Research shows," an NIAAA "Alcohol Alert" bulletin says, "that adverse consequences may occur at relatively low levels of consumption...

...Since the health benefits of aerobic exercise are well documented, Whelan, whose organization has received funding from the industry, was quoted saying "the best way to prevent a heart attack may be to run from bar to bar...

...The French, for instance, consume more vegetables, grains, and beans (high in healthy fibers) than Americans do...

...Alcohol may decrease the stickiness of platelets in the blood that clog and block arteries...

...So non-alcoholic wine, grapes, grape juice, and raisins may be every bit as good for your ticker as a glass of Burgundy...

...With alcohol, one person's moderation may be another's disaster—the poiAs age enhances wine, Wine enhances age...

...Do you trust them with anything positive about moderate alcohol consumption...

...So the president's remarks about drinking might have been news...

...Moderate drinking may be related, if only remotely, to female breast cancer, and may be a risk factor in birth defects...

...Today, BATF, the Food and Drug Administration, and the Federal Trade Commission are preparing guidelines for alcoholic beverage industry advertising on the health issue...

...From the breweries of St...

...Wining and dying So what's the problem with all this...

...Apparently, ethanol is what does it...

...Though it's hard to argue with such logic, many believe there is a fundamental cynicism to the "moderate" or "responsible" drinking approach...

...And the number of drinking Americans shrank...

...All told, red wine sales increased approximately 39 percent in the year following the initial broadcast...

...Since higher excise taxes on alcohol tend to reduce consumption, the Beer Institute has argued that responsible drinking should not be discouraged at all because of the net health benefit to society...

...Helena, California, tried to sell wine with neck hangers—little bottle tags—that quoted the 60 Minutes program...

...All you have to do is look at the numbers...

...Not exactly...

...falls...

...Driving skills can be impaired at 0.05 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC) or lower, with rapid deterioration as the concentration rises...

...And a "moderate" amount is not easy to specify...

...It's not entirely clear that it's the alcohol in wine that helps the heart...

...drownings (38...

...That's as helpful as the National Cancer Institute advising that too much sun is "sun that is too much for you...

...Alcohol is closely connected to the four leading causes of accidental death in the U.S.: auto crashes (about half are alcohol-related...

...So it began exploiting an angle as old as wine itself: toasting your health...

...RED WINE reduces the risk of heart disease by as much as 50...

...DRINK RED WINE...

...This is also the tale of a complex health issue involving perilous tradeoffs that has been oversimplified, sometimes recklessly, by a self-interested industry and an over-eager news media...

...On American Airlines, for instance, requests for red wine increased so dramatically that most flights couldn't stock enough bottles...

...There's probably more benefit from drinking moderately than there is a detriment from the abuse of our product," says Raymond J. Mc-Grath, president of the Beer Institute, the industry's trade association...

...We believe there's a net benefit to society which can be quantified...

...Before Clinton could even finish his sentence, the group erupted in applause...

...And there's some evidence," he continued, "that wine, for example, is good for your heart if you use it in moderation...

...Most of Gallup's 1,001 interviewees said they were not moved to drink by the news about alcohol and health, but consider what happened in November 1991 after "60 Minutes" aired a Mor-ley Safer report on the so-called "French Paradox...

...French per person annual consumption (around 19.55 gallons) is the world's highest...

...Arthur L. Klatsky, an Oakland cardiologist and pioneering alcohol-in-moderation researcher, says "it cannot be stated that alcohol generally is 'good for the heart' or 'bad for the heart.' Specific conditions and individual factors related to the risks of drinking must be considered for each person...

...Elizabeth M. Whelan, president of the American Council on Science and Health, noted that around two-and-a-half ounces of 80-percent proof alcohol a day can cut a woman's risk of dying of heart disease by 50 percent...

...Today, a third of the population consumes 90 percent of all alcoholic beverages, while another third does not imbibe at all...

...More than 100,000 people die each year because of the misuse of alcohol...

...There was even a report that a new wine would be named Safer Red...

...and fires and burns...

...60 Minutes' told the facts, but they didn't tell the whole truth," says Lawrence Lindner, executive editor of the Tufts University Diet & Nutrition Letter...

...In fairness, "60 Minutes" did mention other explanations for the "French Paradox...

...According to a Gallup poll, after two years of decline, consumers appeared to be returning to drinking levels not seen since the mid-eighties...

...In Mademoiselle, Dr...

...Lindner notes that French men are three times more likely than their American counterparts to die of cancer of the esophagus and more than twice as likely to die of stomach cancer...

...An average of 300 people die each day from alcohol-related causes...

...It may increase coronary blood flow and estrogen levels...

...heavily...