The Marin Institute, that notoriously neo-Prohibitionist group, has weighed in heavily on the campaign to block health-related wine labels. In a widely circulated op-ed, the Institute's Hilary Abramson argued that the French Paradox is a myth based on faulty data collection. (The French Paradox is the theory that the French have relatively low incidence of heart disease, despite a diet rich in saturated fats, due to their regular moderate consumption of adult beverages, particularly red wine.)
She even wrote that "one of the fathers of the French Paradox" supports her findings.Apparently, one of the other fathers does not.
In a scathing letter denouncing Abramson's op-ed, Dr. R. Curtis Ellison wrote, "As one of the 'fathers of the French Paradox,' it is incumbent on me to seek to clarify" the issue of alcohol consumption and health. Dr. Ellison went on to scold Abramson for not presenting a "more scientifically sound and balanced picture" of the issue, adding, "Anyone, or any agency, that attempts to block the dissemination to the public of sound scientific knowledge on the health effects of moderate alcohol consumption is doing us a disservice."