The French paradox is the observation that French people suffer a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease, despite having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats. The term French paradox was coined by Serge Renaud, a scientist from Bordeaux University in France.
When a description of this paradox was aired in the United States on 60 Minutes in 1991 with the assumption that red wine decreases the incidence of cardiac diseases, the consumption of red wine increased 44% and some wine sellers began promoting their products as "health food."
The authors of a review of dietary studies concluded that there was insufficient evidence to establish a causal link between consumption of saturated fats and coronary heart disease risk.
Read more about French Paradox: Overview, Wine, French Diet Comparisons, Time-lag Hypothesis, Whole Diet, Validity Questioned
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