Grape juice good for the heart: study
Wed Jan 31, 2007 11:04am ET
By Patricia Reaney
LONDON (Reuters)
- Grape juice seems to have the same protective effect against heart disease as red wine, French scientists said on Wednesday.
Researchers at the Universite Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg were examining the effect on the heart of Concord grape juice.
"Grape juice can have a similar effect (against heart disease) as red wine but without the alcohol. That is a very important message," said Dr Valerie Schini-Kerth, lead author of the study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research.
Red wine and certain types of grape juice have high levels of polyphenols, which block the production of a protein linked to cardiovascular disease -- the number one killer in many Western countries.
Heart and vascular problems develop when endothelial cells that make up blood vessels do not work properly.
Schini-Kerth and her team found that polyphenols in Concord grape juice activate endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide which helps to protect against cardiovascular disease and to maintain healthy blood vessels and blood pressure.
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