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Grapes And Heart Disease Prevention Consuming moderate amount of red wine, which is made from dark-colored (black) grape varieties, has long been thought of helping prevent heart disease by raising levels of good cholesterol and protecting against artery damage. Moderate drinking means an average of 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. But would eating whole grapes in their original form offer the same effect? In 2008, researchers from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center reported that grapes could reduce cardiovascular risk. Performing on laboratory rats, the study examined the effect of regular table grapes (a blend of green, red, and black grapes) that were mixed into the rat diet in a powdered form. Rats receiving the grape-enriched diet powder were found to have lower blood pressure, better heart function, lowered inflammation throughout their bodies, and fewer signs of heart muscle damage than rats eating the same salty diet without receiving grapes. During a presentation on April 26, 2010 at the Experimental Biology convention in Anaheim, California, same researchers from the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center showed that a grape-enriched diet could prevent risk factors for metabolic syndrome. The later is a condition that can lead to cardiovascular disease and Type-2 diabetes.
Once again, they studies the effect of regular table grapes (a blend of green, red and black grapes) that were mixed into a powdered form and integrated into the diets of laboratory rats, which were prone to be overweight, as part of a high-fat diet. Signs of inflammation, oxidative damage and other molecular indicators of cardiac stress were examined. The rats that consumed the grape powder had lower levels of these markers than rats without receiving grapes. The same group of researchers again published a paper on March 25, 2013 in the ‘Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry’ reporting that grapes could reduce heart failure associated with chronic high blood pressure by increasing the activity of several genes responsible for antioxidant defense in the heart tissue. The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and conducted at the University of Michigan Health System. About 1 billion people worldwide have hypertension, which can raise the risk of heart failure by 2 to 3-fold. Heart failure caused by chronic hypertension can result in an enlarged heart muscle. This will prevent the heart from filling with blood properly (diastolic dysfunction) or pumping blood effectively. Laboratory rats that were hypertensive and heart failure-prone were fed a grape-enriched diet. After 18 weeks, observation showed that grape consumption reduced the occurrence of heart muscle enlargement and fibrosis, and improved the diastolic function of the heart. The mechanism of action was also uncovered: grape intake turned on antioxidant defense pathways, increasing the activity of related genes that boost production of glutathione. Grapes have been known to be a natural source of antioxidants and other polyphenols that are responsible for the beneficial effects of grape consumption. It is believed that flavanoids are accountable for the effect against the hypertension, either by direct antioxidant effects, by indirect effects on cell function, or both. These flavanoids are rich in all parts of the grape including skin, flesh and seed. Such naturally occurring chemicals have already been shown to reduce other potentially harmful molecular and cellular activity in the body. Findings from the current study not only furthered the knowledge on grapes and heart disease prevention but also offered translational information on the value of dietary (whole foods) and dietary supplement approaches for prevention of heart disease arising from chronic hypertension. The new study also highlighted the role of whole fruit versus individual components of a fruit, using grapes as the benchmark. Next phase of the study, according to researchers, will continue into 2014 allowing them to further define the mechanisms of grape action, and also examine the impact of whole grape intake compared to individual grape phytonutrients on hypertension-associated heart failure.
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