French paradox, term coined in the United States in 1991 to express the infuriating fact that the French seem to eat and drink themselves silly with no apparent ill effects on their coronary health. Immediately after this thesis was aired on prime-time television in the United States, and red wine consumption cited as a possible factor in reducing the risk of heart disease, US sales of red wine quadrupled and gallo had to put their leading branded generic Hearty Burgundy on allocation. For more details, see health. A similar association between red wine consumption and health benefits has played an important part in the wine boom in asia.
