Many studies have suggested that moderate red wine consumption is beneficial for heart. A laboratory study, just published in the January 2007 issue of Cardiovascular Research, indicates that juice made of Concorde grapes  works  similar to red wine to promote healthy arterial function, reports medicalnewstoday.com.

Dr. Valérie Schini-Kerth and a team of researchers of the Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg found that Concord purple grapes stimulated the production of nitric oxide in endothelial cells and produced a vasorelaxation effect. It is known that nitric oxide is important in the body's natural system for maintaining healthy, flexible blood vessels and helps support healthy blood pressure.

The findings in this study are particularly noteworthy because the beneficial effects of Concord grape juice were observed in arteries of the heart.

Researchers further discovered that Concord purple grape juice - available as Welch's Purple Grape Juice in the UK - produced this relaxation effect by stimulating the same chemical reactions in the arteries that are activated by red wine,  showing that it's the components of the grape, rather than alcohol, that produces this beneficial effect for the heart.

This study supports other preliminary research in which Concord grape juice had a blood pressure-lowering effect as it provides a possible mechanism for the effect.

"But not every grape juice has the beneficial effect. It has to have a high level of polyphenols," Schini-Kerth cautioned. ‘The amount of polyphenols in grape juice, as in red wine, depends on the type of grape used and how it is processed.'

"We have information on more than 100 different kinds of wine and the amount of polyphenols. What we know is that the most protective ones have the highest levels of polyphenols. That is established," she said, adding that, ‘little information is available on the levels of polyphenols in grape juice'.

If you are looking for an alternative to red wine, grape juice made from Concord grapes might provide a delicious, family-friendly, heart-healthy alternative...just might!

Details at www.medicalnewstoday.com

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=62023

The study does not indicate how much grape juice should be drunk to give equivalent benefits-editor

To the best of our knowledge Concorde grape is not produced in India . If some of our readers would like to educate us on this, we shall be delighted to publish the information-editor

P.s.- The study was partly funded by the Welch Foods Inc. makers and promoters of Welch grape juice –editor