|
Two
Recent Studies Point To "Heart-Healthy" Effects Of Drinking
Purple Grape Juice
Concord, MA -
Two separate studies recently published in leading
cardiovascular research journals-one looking at mechanism of
action; the other looking at clinical outcomes-point to the
"heart healthy" benefits of drinking purple grape juice. In
the June 12th issue of Circulation, the official journal of
the American Heart Association, researchers showed that
drinking grape juice not only has a direct effect on
important biological functions of the body but it also
appears to increase the body's levels of valuable
antioxidants while reducing free radical production.
This study
gives us new insight into how purple grape juice may support
a healthy cardiovascular system. Jane E. Freedman, M.D.,
assistant professor of medicine and pharmacology at
Georgetown University and the lead author of the study,
explains, "What we are seeing for the first time is that the
flavonoids in purple grape juice work in two related ways:
First, they have a protective effect on vitamin E and other
antioxidants, allowing them to remain active longer, while
at the same time lowering production of superoxide-a free
radical. Second, they also seem to have a direct, positive
effect on a number of biological functions of the body."
"This study
also supports our previous work published in the Journal
of Nutrition, March, 2000," adds John D. Folts, Ph.D.,
director of the Coronary Thrombosis Research and Prevention
Laboratory at the University of Wisconsin School of
Medicine, and a co-author of the Circulation study.
"…this study helps explain a mechanism behind the protective
effects of purple grape juice."
In the May,
2001 issue of Atherosclerosis, researchers compared
the effects of drinking purple grape juice, red wine, and
dealcoholized red wine in hamsters. They found that purple
grape juice, when compared to red wine and dealcoholized red
wine, was at least as effective at:
-
Supporting healthy
cholesterol levels
-
Supporting a healthy
cardiovascular system
"This study
tells us some important things," explains Joe A. Vinson,
Ph.D., Professor of Chemistry at The University of Scranton,
the study's lead author. First, that purple grape juice
offers significant cardio benefits in test animals. Second,
it suggests that the role alcohol plays in maintaining
cardiovascular function may not be as significant as
previously thought.
Dr. Vinson's
study in Atherosclerosis suggests that purple grape
juice performs as well as red wine in many important
measurements including healthy cholesterol levels, adds Dr.
Folts. "Certainly Dr. Vinson's line of research needs to be
repeated in human subjects, but one could easily envision a
connection between what the mechanisms of action we
identified in our study and the clinical outcomes that Dr.
Vinson is seeing in his animal work."
Dr.
Freedman's work was primarily funded by the National
Institutes of Health (National Heart. Lung and Blood
Institute) and also by an unrestricted research grant from
Welch Foods Inc. Dr. Vinson's research was supported by The
University of Scranton.
Click Here to return to the grape library page.
Source:
Concord Grape Association |
