The older you get, the more concerned you become with numbers, especially numbers that have to do with your cholesterol levels. If you’re looking to lower those numbers, then this is for you.
Grapes contain a compound called pterostilbene. The findings of a study shared by Agnes Rimando, PhD, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Products Utilization Research Center in Oxford, Miss., at the 228 National meeting of the American Chemical Society reported on pterostilbene’s ability to reduce cholesterol and triglycerides.
The study demonstrated that pterostilbene affects the enzyme involved with regulating fat levels in your blood. Interestingly, this compound found in the lowly grape rivaled the effects of prescription triglyceride- and cholesterol-lowering drugs. (Pterostilbene has also been found to have an anti-cancer and anti-diabetes action as well.)
It’s not just pterostilbene that helps prevent cholesterol buildup in your blood. Grape skins also contain substances called saponins that bind with cholesterol and prevent its absorption into the body. Saponins have also been reported to be able to block inflammation.
Remember our old friend resveratrol? Well, it also plays a role in heart health. In a study reported in the American Journal of Physiology: Heart and Circulatory Physiology, researchers reported on resveratrol’s ability to prevent the production of collagen in heart cells. The production of collagen in heart cells causes the muscles to stiffen, increasing the difficulty of not only pumping blood, but also of pumping enough blood.
Another study, involving blood samples taken from healthy volunteers after they drank grape juice, revealed additional heart benefits. The first noted benefit was an increase in nitric oxide levels in the blood. Nitric oxide helps reduce the formation of blood clots. This increase in nitric oxide was coupled with a decrease in platelet aggregation—a contributor to blood clotting. And if that wasn’t enough, researchers also noted an increase in an antioxidant called alpha-tocopherol, raising blood-antioxidant activity by 50%. This increased antioxidant activity protects LDL cholesterol from oxidation (or free radical damage), which is what causes LDL blockage in blood vessels.
You may also have heard of protein tyrosine kinases. Recent studies have reported that heart disease can be attributed to these particular enzymes. Fortunately, grapes contain compounds that not only inhibit this enzyme, but also another enzyme that causes blood vessels to constrict, reducing blood flow to the heart.
Finally, an interesting study reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition attributed the lowered risk of heart disease from all factors, including hypertension, among the French is due to their increased consumption of red wine.