The fading French Paradox                                  

            U.S. scientists have wondered why people in France who seem to enjoy a rich cuisine are less obese and have far less coronary artery disease than Americans do. Their intake of red wine has been given much of the credit for this “French Paradox.” The actual reasons are much more complex and include such factors as smaller portion sizes, a greater intake of fruits and vegetables, less reliance on labor-saving devices, etc. One study suggested that the French take longer to eat, allowing a normal appetite-regulating mechanism to limit their food intake. A less kind opinion is that health statistics are recorded differently in France than they are in other Western countries, making them appear healthier than they are.

            When the French Paradox was described in the early 1990s, middle-aged Frenchmen had grown up during World War Two and had lived with traditional eating habits. Their children no longer do so. It’s no surprise that France is facing the same kinds of health problems that have become serious burdens in the United States. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), whose headquarters, ironically, are in Paris, notes that obesity affects about 15 percent of the French people and another 30 percent are overweight. Those figures are nearly double what they were in the late 1990s but still considerably lower than other modern nations. Overweight and obesity are most prevalent among young adults.

            Statistical arguments aside, we can learn a great deal from the French lifestyle of the mid-twentieth century, some elements of which are noted above. No single one is the most important but taken together they offer potential solutions to the chronic diseases that are so prevalent in the United States.

            Portion size matters. Visitors to France encounter it and the scientific community validates it. Smaller portions at every meal are an important first step to maintaining healthy weight. The unhurried pace of the French in their enjoyment of meals plays into the body’s natural mechanism for the control of appetite. Many French families raise their own vegetables. Those who do not often shop daily to find the freshest produce and it makes up the bulk of their intake. They enjoy meat and fish but in small amounts.

            Does their intake of red wine make a difference? Probably, but according to several studies it’s not as much as journalists lead us to believe. In sum, you can create your own French Paradox.