Heartwarming Tale
Now here's tale to gladden the heart - a consultant cardiologist who dispenses free glasses of red wine while doing his ward rounds and then encourages his patients to follow up this unusual treatment when they get discharged from hospital.
And at only £4.99 a bottle its a real snip.
Heart problems? Try this Chilean red, says doctor
William McCrea, who takes a drinks trolley on his hospital ward rounds Stuart Harrison/SWNS
A consultant cardiologist who has been prescribing red wine to his patients for more than ten years claims that his unorthodox medicine has cut the number of secondary heart attacks by half.
William McCrea was inspired by studies that showed that French people suffered far fewer heart problems than his British patients, despite eating more fat and smoking heavily. The difference was attributed to the consumption of red wine, which is high in antioxidants.
Dr McCrea started taking a drinks trolley around his ward at the Great Western Hospital, in Swindon, Wiltshire, serving a glass in the morning and again in the evening. He advises patients to continue taking the “medicine” when they get home.
He claims that while he has not carried out a scientific study, the number of patients needing further treatment has been dramatically reduced. Dr McCrea said: “Hardly any of my patients who have had a heart attack who go on to have red wine ever come back into the hospital again, which is unusual. The chance of a second heart attack has been reduced by about 50 per cent.”
Dr McCrea claims to have prescribed the red wine cure for about 10,000 people who have heart disease, have suffered heart attacks or have had a coronary bypass. He also claims that “moderate” red wine reduces the risk of strokes by up to 20 per cent.
He added: “The French consume twice the amount of fat we do, they smoke more, and they don’t do any more exercise than us, but their rate of deaths from heart attacks is half of ours. What’s the difference? They drink red wine like we drink tea.
“We have to be careful of the message we’re sending out, but by and large the benefits of a couple of glasses of red wine far outweigh the negatives. It does three things: it prevents clots from developing inside the arteries, it raises levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and it causes dilatation of the arteries. It stops you having a heart attack again, if it is in moderation.”
Dr McCrea has been recommending a Chilean red wine that is particularly high in antioxidants. It has sold out in Swindon supermarkets as a result. The skins of certain red wine grapes are rich in flavonoids, a kind of antioxidant. Another antioxidant called resveratrol reduces levels of the cholesterol that causes blood clots. Red wine also helps to keep the inner lining of blood vessels smooth, which also helps to stave off blood clots.
Dr McCrea recommends shiraz and pinot noir from South Africa, which are both grown at high altitude and have high levels of anti-oxidants.
His favourite is Chilean Montes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which costs £4.99 a bottle.
The wine he dispenses is paid for by the NHS charity Brighter Futures, not from taxpayers’ money.
William McCrea was inspired by studies that showed that French people suffered far fewer heart problems than his British patients, despite eating more fat and smoking heavily. The difference was attributed to the consumption of red wine, which is high in antioxidants.
Dr McCrea started taking a drinks trolley around his ward at the Great Western Hospital, in Swindon, Wiltshire, serving a glass in the morning and again in the evening. He advises patients to continue taking the “medicine” when they get home.
He claims that while he has not carried out a scientific study, the number of patients needing further treatment has been dramatically reduced. Dr McCrea said: “Hardly any of my patients who have had a heart attack who go on to have red wine ever come back into the hospital again, which is unusual. The chance of a second heart attack has been reduced by about 50 per cent.”
Dr McCrea claims to have prescribed the red wine cure for about 10,000 people who have heart disease, have suffered heart attacks or have had a coronary bypass. He also claims that “moderate” red wine reduces the risk of strokes by up to 20 per cent.
He added: “The French consume twice the amount of fat we do, they smoke more, and they don’t do any more exercise than us, but their rate of deaths from heart attacks is half of ours. What’s the difference? They drink red wine like we drink tea.
“We have to be careful of the message we’re sending out, but by and large the benefits of a couple of glasses of red wine far outweigh the negatives. It does three things: it prevents clots from developing inside the arteries, it raises levels of ‘good’ cholesterol and it causes dilatation of the arteries. It stops you having a heart attack again, if it is in moderation.”
Dr McCrea has been recommending a Chilean red wine that is particularly high in antioxidants. It has sold out in Swindon supermarkets as a result. The skins of certain red wine grapes are rich in flavonoids, a kind of antioxidant. Another antioxidant called resveratrol reduces levels of the cholesterol that causes blood clots. Red wine also helps to keep the inner lining of blood vessels smooth, which also helps to stave off blood clots.
Dr McCrea recommends shiraz and pinot noir from South Africa, which are both grown at high altitude and have high levels of anti-oxidants.
His favourite is Chilean Montes Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon, which costs £4.99 a bottle.
The wine he dispenses is paid for by the NHS charity Brighter Futures, not from taxpayers’ money.
