Grape Polyphenols Promote Cardiovascular Health

STORRS, Conn.--Supplementation with grape polyphenols lowered risk factors for cardiovascular disease, according to a study on women published in the Journal of Nutrition (135:1911-17, 2005).

In a randomized, crossover study, researchers from the University of Connecticut administered lyophilized grape powder (LGP) or placebo to 24 premenopausal and 20 postmenopausal women for four weeks. The LGP was composed of 92-percent carbohydrates and contained flavans, anthocyanins, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol and resveratrol. In premenopausal and postmenopausal women given LGP, plasma triglyceride concentrations were reduced by 15 percent and 6 percent, respectively, and serum levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and apolipoproteins B and E were lower. In addition, cholesterol ester transfer protein activity, whole-body oxidative stress as measured by urinary F2-isoprostanes, and levels of plasma tumor necrosis factor-alpha were reduced in women given LGP.

The researchers concluded LGP intake beneficially affected key risk factors for coronary heart disease in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women by causing health-promoting alterations in lipoprotein metabolism, oxidative stress and inflammatory markers.