One of the factors of the French paradox is that along with their high fat, buttery croissants and rich sauces, the typical diet includes wine. And red wine is chock-full of disease-fighting antioxidants that may be the reason the French have half the incidence of heart disease than Americans.

Cheryl Myers, R.N. explains that wine contains OPCs, or oligomeric proanthocyanidins, which are "powerful bioflavonoids that attack free-radicals and boost the immune system response to inflammation, allergy and infection."

But the expert, who is a nationally known specialist in natural medicine, tells Newsmax these potent OPCs are also found in grape seed extract, which is available as a food supplement.

"Grape seed extract is made from the seeds of grapes and is considered to be one of the most powerful antioxidants available," Myers says. "It has been studied extensively over the past 50 years and has been shown to be highly effective in reducing oxidative damage and inflammation at the cellular level."

Research shows that grape seed extract contains antioxidants that are 20 times more powerful than vitamin C and 50 times more powerful than vitamin E. European tests indicate that OPCs from grape seed extract have no human toxicity and cause no allergic reactions, birth defects, or carcinogenicity.

In fact, OPCs are on the front line of cancer research.

"There is a lot of promising research using grape seed extract in the treatment of cancer," says Myers. "It has been found to inhibit tumor growth, stop inflammation and makes chemotherapy more effective."

Laboratory studies have shown that grape seed extract is a strong inhibitor of breast and prostate cancer cells. It has also been shown to stop bladder cancer cell growth by increasing oxidative stress ONLY to cancer cells while leaving healthy cells intact and unharmed.

According to Myers, grape seed extract is also beneficial in preventing the oxidation of LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, thereby reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke.

"It can help reduce blood pressure by relaxing blood vessel walls and speeding muscle recovery," she says. "Other studies indicate grape seed extract prevents obesity and diabetes, which is rampant in this country by controlling blood sugar levels."

An Indian study found that grape seed OPCs reduced the effect of oxidative stress in the aging brain and researchers considered it to be a neuroprotectant to prevent cognitive loss.

Other OPC research investigated the potential in giving children with deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, supplements. A placebo-controlled, double-blind study found that after just one month, OPCs boosted attention span, caused a significant reduction in hyperactivity, and improved motor coordination.

"While eating grapes or using grape seed oil in your diet are great, healthy additions, you don't get the guaranteed levels of proanthocyanins and healthy compounds found in a high-quality supplement," she says.

The trick is to find supplements that contain the smallest and most absorbent OPCs and are tannin-free, says Myers.

"Look on the label so see if the product is standardized for a minimum of 80% OPCs," she says. "Some of the cheaper products you find in stores are ALL tannins that count as OPCs but are not absorbed and therefore provide little or no benefit."

"OPC's are pretty much a one-stop ingredients for a variety of health benefits," says Myers.