Long-term, French red wine consumption in low doses could involve an upregulation of eNOS expression. This would lead to moderate, but sustained elevations of vascular NO.
The numerous phenolic acids, polyphenols, and flavo-noids contained in French red wines are likely constituents probably mediating the expressional upregulation of Enos. French red wines contain high polyphenol levels compared with wines from other regions leading to an enhanced production or bioactive NO. Apart from the other known beneficial effects of red wine on dyslipidemia, the enhanced NO activity could contribute to further cardiovascular protection beyond that observed with other alcoholic beverages. In addition, the following observation may be relevant: red wine may have specific anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative effects. The acute administration of red wine reduces the increase in nuclear factor kb (NF–kB) responsible for promoting the expres¬sion of several inflammatory genes resulting from a high-fat meal, a finding that has not been observed for vodka. This finding and the study by Cuveas et al. suggested that red wine may be particularly cardioprotec-tive in individuals consuming high-fat diets. These two important findings may explain the French paradox (see the chapter Alcohol and the Heart).

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