Red wine has been studied for its potential to lower the risk of heart disease, but it is unclear whether the benefits come from the alcohol, substances in the red grapes used to make the wine or a combination of both. While more research is needed, it may be that products such as red grape juice may be just as effective at improving cholesterol levels.
Resveratrol and Flavonoids
The skin of red grapes contains resveratrol and flavonoids, both of which are antioxidants that may provide a wide variety of health benefits, including protecting you against heart disease. Antioxidants may reduce your risk of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels and inhibiting blood clot formation, says the Yale New Haven Hospital. Given this, it has been suggested that consuming red wine may lower your risk of disease, due to both the alcohol and antioxidant content. However, if you do not drink it is not advisable to start nor is alcohol consumption appropriate for everyone. For those who do not consume alcohol; drinking red grape juice may provide the same benefits.
Grape Juice Benefits
Resveratrol and flavonoids are in both dark red and dark purple grapes, so eating grapes or consuming red or purple grape juice may also protect you against heart disease. While more studies are needed it appears that resveratrol and flavonoids in grapes and grape juice can dilate your blood vessels, making it easier for the blood to flow through; lower your level of low density lipoprotein or the bad kind of cholesterol; raise your level of high density lipoprotein or good kind of cholesterol and make it harder for the blood to clot and block an artery, reports MayoClinic.com.
Daily Requirement
One of the benefits of drinking grape juice over eating grapes is that the antioxidants are in the skins and seeds, which some people may not eat. Making juice requires using the whole grape. While red grape juice provides antioxidants, an article in 2005 in "Psychology Today" recommends choosing purple or Concord grape juice as it appears to have a higher concentration than red grape juice. Since grape juice is part of a healthy diet, aim to replace less healthy drinks such as soda or sports drinks with two 8-oz. glasses of grape juice each day. This will also help you meet two out of the three recommended servings of fruit each day.
Considerations
It is still unclear whether it is the alcoho,; resveratrol, flavonoids or a combination that provides the most benefit. One concern with using grape juice is that the concentration of resveratrol and flavonoids can vary widely among brands and in how the juice was processed, notes the Harvard Medical School. Even though red wine in moderation or grape juice may help improve your cholesterol levels, drinking either needs to be combined with a healthy diet, quitting smoking and regular exercise to fully lower your risk of disease.
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