Could cheese be the missing piece in the French paradox puzzle?
Section snippets
Background
How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty-six different kinds of cheese?
Charles De Gaulle
Despite high consumption of saturated fat France still enjoys one of the lowest rates of cardiovascular mortality in the world, only falling behind Korea and Japan. According to the World Health Organization 2009 Mortality Database, the mortality from heart disease and stroke in France was 50 cases per 100,000 of population, whereas the rate in the USA approached 129/100,000. The
French dietary pattern and Mediterranean diet
In general, French dietary pattern is characterized by meal preparation from basic/natural ingredients, structured mealtimes and less between-meal snacking [9]. Although there is significant diversity predetermined by regional, educational and socio-demographic factors [10], a typical French meal includes a significant amount of saturated fat originating from butter, cheese, whole milk and other dairy products, cured meats and pastries supplemented with some fruit and vegetables and moderate
From milk to fermentated dairy and ripened cheese
At present the consumption of whole fat dairy products is severely disapproved of by the medical community since there is a strong correlation between consumption of unmodified dairy products and coronary heart disease which has been traced for decades [20]. In contrast, the ingestion of reduced fat dairy products has recently been proven to be beneficial in counteracting obesity as well as other manifestations of metabolic syndrome [21]. It has been claimed recently that the link between dairy
Molded cheese, fungi and cardiovascular health
Roquefort, Camembert and Gorgonzola are only a few among many other varieties of popular molded cheese. In general, their production starts with the addition of rennet and a starter culture of Penicillium roqueforti or Penicillium camemberti, fungi which promote flavor formation in the full cream sheep’s milk [42]. The biochemistry of the ripening of these cheeses is far more complex than that of bacterial-ripened varieties such as Cheddar or Gouda and is characterized by more intense
Conclusion
The link between wine consumption and reduced cardiovascular mortality is not straightforward. Despite the persistent nationwide decline in wine consumption [46], France continues to show remarkably low levels of cardiovascular mortality. On the other hand, growing demand for red wine in the countries of Eastern Europe (Wine Annual Report and Statistics, U-27, 2011) does not affect the alarmingly high rates of cardiovascular disease in the region [47]. Therefore, “French paradox” seems to be a
Conflict of interest statement
None declared.
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Cited by (24)
Penicillium roqueforti: an overview of its genetics, physiology, metabolism and biotechnological applications
2020, Fungal Biology ReviewsFrench and Mediterranean-style diets: Contradictions, misconceptions and scientific facts-A review
2019, Food Research InternationalCitation Excerpt :In the southern Mediterranean region, for reasons related to culture and religion, wine is habitually replaced with black tea as a main source of phytochemicals, mainly polyphenols. The “French paradox” phenomenon was coined to summarize observations of low rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality in France despite high saturated fat consumption by the French (Ferrières, 2004; Petyaev & Bashmakov, 2012; Renaud & de Lorgeril, 1992). Despite the fact that alcohol consumption led to 2.3 million deaths in 2015, caused by cancers, heart diseases, and liver diseases, among others (Forouzanfar et al., 2016), alcohol consumption is still at least 25% higher in France than in other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.
Blue Cheese
2017, Cheese: Chemistry, Physics and Microbiology: Fourth EditionDairy products and the French paradox: Could alkaline phosphatases play a role?
2016, Medical HypothesesCitation Excerpt :However, direct evidence on the effects of milk fat and fatty acids on IAP is surprisingly lacking. In their “dairy product” hypothesis paper, Petyaev and Bashmakov highlighted that moulded cheeses, especially blue ones like Roquefort may be among the most protective ones, due to the presence of biomolecules such as andrastins A-D and roquefortine with anti-cholesterol and antibacterial properties, respectively [6]. Important to our purpose, the fungus Penicillium roqueforti was reported to produce a heat-stable AP [59].
Dietary polyphenols regulate endothelial function and prevent cardiovascular disease
2015, NutritionCitation Excerpt :Taking the French paradox into consideration, polyphenol and epidemiologic studies exploring disease development carried out in several countries found that CVD mortality rates were inversely related to dietary polyphenol intake [1–4]. Although the French paradox generally is considered related to the consumption of red wine, a recent study indicated that the French paradox also applies to Mediterranean regions [5]. Furthermore, red wine consumption alone cannot explain the French paradox, so other components of the typical French diet could be responsible for the decreased CVD mortality seen in these regions [6,7].