Heart-Disease: The French Paradox

In the mid-1990s the world's oldest inhabitant - a 120-year-old
woman living in Arles in Provence - gave a television interview
during the course of which she attributed her longevity to three
things: using olive oil for all her cooking, drinking red wine every
day, and giving up smoking at the age of 117!

It's a heartwarming story, and it illustrates in a very real way the
beneficial effects of something that has come to be known as the
"French Paradox".

Stated simply, the French Paradox can be expressed as follows:

As a nation, the French eat more than anyone else, drink more than
anyone else, smoke more than most people, have more liver, kidney
and gastrointestinal complaints and disorders than their US/ UK
counterparts - and yet have one-third fewer deaths from heart
disease!