SIRC Media Watch Archive
Comment and Opinion – April 2001
Brain and Mouth Disease, by Lionel Tiger In l992 I published a book called the Pursuit of Pleasure in which I argued that there were evolution-based reasons for seeking out what provided pleasure. Included of course was food. In addition I suggested that the wine with which it is often if not usually associated might also when consumed in moderation have moderate but real health benefits over and above the tastiness and convivial buzz it provided.
Needless to say this was a popular assertion among people in the wine industry. One result was that I asked to convey this glad message at a meeting at the National Press Club in Washington to advocate the so-called Mediterranean Diet in conjunction with sensible consumption of wine – which is usually a traditional part of that diet … But as Taubes points out, 50 years of mainstream nutritional research and hundreds of millions of research dollars have not proved that if you eat a low-fat diet you will live longer. Certainly your cholesterol levels will be lower. But the link between diet and longevity it has been argued remains undemonstrated. Full article.
