The grapes have it – wine, grape juice in prevention of cardiovascular diseases – Brief Article
A daily drink of alcohol, red wine in particular, has been shown to provide benefits against coronary heart disease. Many a fitness-minded connoisseur has relied on that fact to feel good about wine with dinner–and for good reason. Red wine is loaded with flavonoids, which have been associated with lower risk of heart disease. The wine is thought to improve the chemistry associated with LDL (the bad cholesterol) preventing it from causing oxidative damage to the arteries. In addition, the flavonoids dilate (relax) the blood vessels, which may also reduce the risks of atherosclerosis. New research has shown that grape juice produces both these heart protective effects without the alcohol.
In this research, 15 adults with documented coronary artery disease drank two glasses of purple grape juice a day for 14 days. Both dilation of the blood vessels and improvement of LDL oxidation were observed. If you don’t want to drink alcohol, you may be able to enjoy the same preventive effects with grape juice. Be sure to choose the “juice only” alternatives rather than those with added sugars, even if they are fruit sugars.
(Circulation, Vol. 100, No. 10, pp. 1050-1 055)
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