Grapeseed Extract May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

Grapeseed Extract May Reduce Risk of Heart Disease

SCRANTON, Pa.--Investigators from the University of Scranton conducted three studies to determine the extent of wine grapeseed extract's antioxidant activity and potential to reduce the risk of heart disease. Their results were published in the Spring 2001 Journal of Medicinal Food (4, 1:17-25, 2001) (www.liebertpub.com).

The first study compared the antioxidant potency of grapeseed extract (as MegaNatural^® Gold, by Polyphenolics), grapes, grape juice, red wine, other grapeseed extracts, beta-carotene, tocopherol, ascorbic acid and Pycnogenol in vitro. Researchers noted that MegaNatural Gold had hundreds of times more polyphenol antioxidants than red wines, red grapes or grape juice. And, all of the extracts except Pycnogenol had higher quality antioxidants than vitamins (beta-carotene, tocopherol and ascorbic acid). MegaNatural Gold was found to be a superior antioxidant to Pycnogenol, red wines, red wine extract, grape juice, red grapes, other grapeseed extracts, and black and green teas.

Following the in vitro study, researchers supplemented nine healthy subjects with 200 mg/d or 300 mg/d of MegaNatural Gold one week apart. The antioxidant activity was found to be most potent in the higher dose.

Then, researchers conducted a three-week study with 17 subjects--nine with normal blood pressure and eight with high blood pressure--taking 600 mg/d of the supplement (two 300 mg doses). The high cholesterol group had a 12 percent decrease in total cholesterol, 19 percent decrease in high-density lipoprotein (HDL), 16 percent decrease of low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and a rise in triglycerides, although the triglycerides remained in normal range. Plasma antioxidant capacity was also significantly increased in the high cholesterol group.

Researchers concluded that MegaNatural Gold, at a dose of 300 mg/d, provides a short-term increase in antioxidant capacity, and taking the supplement with each meal may provide a significant increase in plasma antioxidants for 24 hours. However, normal healthy subjects appeared to receive no long-term antioxidant or lipid benefits as a result of supplementation.