Fresh red or purple grapes -- though not necessarily grape juice – may offer the same or similar heart-health benefits as red wine. According to Dr. Martha Grogan, cardiologist with the Mayo Clinic, these benefits include maintaining health blood pressure, protecting heart blood vessels and reducing both the risk of blood clots and levels of low-density lipoprotein or LDL cholesterol.
Red Wine Benefits
Resolving the so-called “French paradox” – why the French are slimmer and have better heart health than Americans when they drink so much and eat high-fat foods – has been a research goal since the 1990s. Though the general heart benefits of alcohol are also cited, research at Yale-New Haven Hospital clearly identifies red wine as the most beneficial. The amount of wine that the French drink, and curiosity about what in the wine might be responsible for heart health, led to a long-term focus on red wine and its antioxidants, including resveratrol.
Red Wine
Drinking red wine in moderation is now considered a heart-healthy practice. Whether it’s the alcohol in red wines or flavonoids – antioxidants, including polyphenols such as resveratrol – red wine increases "good" cholesterol, reduces "bad" cholesterol, prevents blood clots and protects against artery damage. Yet many doctors are reluctant to “prescribe” alcohol to non-drinkers, because excess alcohol has so many negative health consequences.
Resveratrol
In his 2009 research summary for Quackwatch, Dr. Stephen Barrett, M.D., explains that resveratrol is a phytoalexin, an antibiotic compound produced by plants to fight disease. Because fungal infections on grapes are more common where it’s cool, cool-climate grapes produce higher concentrations. Resveratrol is a component of the oriental medicine Ko-jo-kon, used to treat diseases of the blood vessels, heart and liver. It is more concentrated in red wine because red wine is fermented with grape skins longer than white. Research on mice given resveratrol suggests that it may protect against obesity and diabetes, major risk factors for heart disease, along with cancer, inflammation and blood clotting. Science Daily suggested in 2011 that it may even protect against radiation. But as MayoClinic.com points out, to get the same dose of resveratrol used in the mice studies you would have to drink more than 60 liters of red wine every day. There are other reasons to curb your enthusiasm, at least for now. Resveratrol hasn’t been tested in clinical trials, but Barrett reminds us that most other promising antioxidants have not demonstrated the benefits suggested by preliminary studies.
Grapes & Juice
Grapes are rich in health-protecting antioxidants, including resveratrol. Purple and red grapes tend to be higher in antioxidants than white or green varieties. If resveratrol is the source of red wine’s healthy benefits – and remember, the jury is still out – fresh grapes are a better source than grape juice. The highest concentration of resveratrol is in the skin, rather than the pulp or extracted juice, though grapes are also high in other antioxidants and flavonoids. Grape juice, which is not a fermented beverage and so isn’t blended with grape skins, is not a significant source of resveratrol.
References
- MayoClinic.com; Does Grape Juice Offer the Same Heart Benefits as Red Wine?; Martha Grogan; July 2011
- MayoClinic.com; Red Wine and Resveratrol--Good for Your Heart?; March 2011
- Quackwatch; Resveratrol -- Don't Buy the Hype; Stephen Barrett; September 2009
- Psychology Today: Mindful Eating; Mindful Eating: The French Paradox How Do the French Get Away with It?; Jan Chozen Bays; March 2009
- Science Daily; Red Wine Compound Resveratrol Demonstrates Significant Health Benefits; June 2009
- Yale School of Medicine, Yale-New Haven Hospital: A Glass of Red Wine a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
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