Natural antioxidants in wine, which are also found in tea, grapes and other fruits, help keep LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in a less-damaging form. French wine drinkers also tend to practice several healthy habits like keeping active and eating more than an average amount of vegetables and beans.
In France mortality from ischaemic heart disease is about a quarter of that in Britain. The major risk factors are no more favourable in France, and this so called “French paradox” has not been satisfactorily explained.
The healthiest hearts in the world have been found in the Tsimane people in the forests of Bolivia, say researchers. Barely any Tsimane had signs of clogged up arteries - even well into old age - a study in the Lancet showed.
The French paradox is an apparently paradoxical epidemiological observation that French people have a relatively low incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), while having a diet relatively rich in saturated fats, in apparent contradiction to the widely held belief that the high consumption of such fats is a risk ...
The two leading causes of death in France are tumors and cardiovascular diseases. They alone account for about half of all deaths.
Cancer is the leading cause of death in France, accounting for 28.5% of all deaths in 2014, followed by cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 25%.
The main reasons for this improvement were the successful spread of vaccination against smallpox, one of the main killer diseases at that time, and progress in delivery techniques and aftercare for newborns.
Natural antioxidants in wine, which are also found in tea, grapes and other fruits, help keep LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in a less-damaging form. French wine drinkers also tend to practice several healthy habits like keeping active and eating more than an average amount of vegetables and beans.
Among western high-income countries, Greece has the lowest cholesterol for both men and women (below 5 mmol/L). USA, Canada, and Sweden also had low cholesterol. The UK's cholesterol is ninth highest in the world, slightly below 5.5 mmol/L.
Furthermore, healthy habits are ingrained in the French culture from a young age. The French generally eat smaller portions than Americans, and they usually enjoy only one large meal a day — lunch — whereas Americans often enjoy three. In addition, snacking is rarely encouraged.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States, including African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Hispanic, and white men.
The Russian Federation shows the highest death rates from cardiovascular disease of the 17 countries compared. Their death rate is over three times that of Australia for both males and females.
Men older than age 45 and women past menopause have the highest risk of a heart event. A family history of heart disease is a risk factor that you can't directly control but that you should be aware of.
The French paradox is the observation of low coronary heart disease (CHD) death rates despite high intake of dietary cholesterol and saturated fat. The French paradox concept was formulated by French epidemiologists3 in the 1980s. France is actually a country with low CHD incidence and mortality (table 1).
It was a term coined in 1980 by French scientists in their paper on heart disease and fat intake. It refers to the fact that, despite consuming a diet high in saturated fat, French people have relatively low levels of coronary heart disease, especially when compared with people in Britain.
Conclusions: Hypertension is frequent in France, particularly in the age group 55-74 years. Control rates remain low, particularly in high-risk, older and diabetic individuals.
High cholesterol levels increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases and put your life in danger. Around 1.5 million Australians have high cholesterol. [1] But the good thing is, it is an issue they can control. They can take medications or make a few lifestyle changes to bring their cholesterol levels back to normal.
1/ Okinawan diet – Japan
Widely considered to be one of the healthiest diets in the world, the Okinawan diet has numerous health benefits. So much so that Japan has the lowest obesity rates and second longest life expectancy of any developed country.
In 2017-18, 6.1% of all Australians (1.5 million people) had high cholesterol, which was a decline from 7.1% in 2014-15. The prevalence has fallen to a similar rate to that observed a decade ago in 2007-08 of 5.7%. The same proportion of males and females had high cholesterol (6.1%).
Preparing and sharing food is one of—perhaps the essential—pleasure of French culture. Healthy food in France comes from moderation. There are no forbidden foods, only excess is looked down upon. The French have never been afraid of fat, so a small portion is often very satisfying.
Studies have shown that the portion size served in French restaurants is much less than that in other countries. In a French diet, the focus is more in the quality of ingredients and not the quantity. Moreover, it has been seen that in France people take out more time to savour their meals.
What is fascinating about the French way of eating is that, despite the high intake of saturated fats, the French seem to have low levels of obesity and heart disease when compared to other nations with similar fat intake. In fact, the French have the lowest rate of heart disease in all of Europe.
France, a wealthy nation with the fifth largest economy in the world, follows this trend. The top diseases in France are cancer, neuropsychiatric conditions (such as Alzheimer's), cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Regardless of a country's income, poverty impacts the epidemiology of disease.
Results. Prevalence of diabetes in the French population is estimated at 6%.
A big factor in this is healthcare - France's healthcare system is excellent and covers everyone who is resident here, so there's no barrier to treatment if people need it.