Juice Prevents Clogged Arteries

Juices made from apples or purple grapes—and the fruits themselves—protect against developing clogged arteries, suggests a study that was reported in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. Researchers fed hamsters the fruit and juice or water, plus a fatty diet. The animals who got the grape juice had the lowest risk of developing artery problems.

The University of Montpellier research team says the juice’s benefits come from its high levels of phenols, which are antioxidants. Antioxidants in various foods have been regularly cited as being beneficial to heart health.

The French researchers looked at how juicing affected the phenol content of fruit—because most studies look at raw fruit. They then looked at how various kinds of fruit affected the hamsters’ risk of atherosclerosis—the buildup of fatty plaque deposits in the arteries that can lead to heart attacks or strokes.

The amount of fruit the hamsters consumed was equivalent to three apples or three bunches of grapes daily for a human. Hamsters given juice got the equivalent of four glasses daily for a person weighing 70 kilograms, or 154 pounds.

The apples and grapes had about the same phenol content, while the purple grape juice had 2.5 times more phenols than apple juice.

Compared with animals given water, those given fruit or fruit juice had lower cholesterol counts, less oxidative stress and less fat accumulation in their aorta, the main vessel supplying oxygenated blood to the body.

Purple grape juice had the greatest effect, followed by purple grapes, apple juice and apples. The researchers say their findings suggest that the amount of phenols contained in a food has a direct effect on its antioxidant properties. They also point out that other antioxidant compounds in the fruits, such as vitamin C and carotenoids, could contribute to their effects as well.

The team, led by Kelly Decorde, says that the findings “provide encouragement that fruit and fruit juices may have a significant clinical and public health relevance.”

—Dr. Bob Goldman
www.WorldHealth.net

Editor’s note: For the latest information and research on health and aging, subscribe to the American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine e-zine free at WorldHealth.net.