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2007-9-3 17:25:22 |
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It is well known drinking red wine is linked with better cardiovascular health. But a new study suggests that drinking certain types of grape juice can have the same protective effect against heart disease. The possible reason may be that both red wine and certain grape juices contain high levels of antioxidative polyphenols, which researchers believe block the production of a protein linked to cardiovascular disease. For the study funded by Welch Foods Inc., researchers at the Universite Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg used pig cells to examine the effect on the heart of Concord grape juice. The French researchers found that polyphenols in Concord grape juice improve production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells, which promotes cardiovascular health. "Grape juice can have a similar effect (against heart disease) as red wine but without the alcohol. That is a very important message," Reuters quoted Dr Valerie Schini-Kerth, lead author of the study published in the journal Cardiovascular Research as saying. But the researcher said that not all grape juices are made equal with regard to its content of polyphenols. The protective benefits were only linked to the grape juices with high levels of polyphenols |
