The Alcohol Paradox 102 the alcohol itself irrespective of the form it comes in( e. g., lowering blood pressure and stress levels) and some to the other ingredients of wine, particularly the polyphenols found in red wine. These have antioxidant qualities helpful in preventing cancer. Polyphenols, while found in grape juice, strawberries and raspberries, become concentrated in red wine as the fermentation process draws them from the seed and skin. Resveratrol, present in red wine, as well as its antioxidant qualities, also improves blood lipids. Alcohol reduces the tendency of blood to clot. As with Aspirin, this is helpful in avoiding heart attacks caused by the blocking of coronary arteries by clots. But for people at risk of strokes( which can be caused by bleeding into the brain) alcohol can increase the danger. While modest doses of alcohol can increase the good blood lipid, HDL, and lower the bad one, LDL, heavy drinking can increase blood pressure and, in some reports, increase triglycerides. Alcoholics have higher rates of cancer than the general population and, more specifically, the risk of breast cancer in women has been found to increase the more they drink. Maybe because alcoholics tend not to drink red wine as it is not the cheapest form of alcohol they do not benefit from its anti-cancer action. Instead they drink whatever gives them the most alcohol for their buck – port and sherry being the best value. The breast cancer data would suggest that women should drink wine, especially red wine, rather than other forms of alcohol. Certainly this is the case in France where the majority of alcohol is consumed in the form of wine. So, moderation is the key, with women needing to be even more careful. For women, moderation is one to two standard drinks a day; for men, it is two to three. Higher intakes need to be balanced by some alcohol-free days over a week. French men average around three to four glasses of wine a day and have a 30 % lower incidence of heart disease than French men who do not drink. But, they die more frequently from cancer and violent deaths