Does grape juice have the same benefits as red wine?
THE BELIEF: Grape juice has the same benefits as red wine. THE FACTS: By now the cardiovascular benefits of a daily glass of wine are well known. But many teetotalers wonder whether they can reap the same rewards from wine’s unfermented sibling, or are they simply left out altogether. Grape juice may not provide much buzz, but you still can toast to good health when it comes to its ability to avert heart disease. Alcohol in moderation can relax blood vessels and increase levels of HDL, the “good” cholesterol. But the substances thought to provide much of red wine’s heart benefits — resveratrol and flavonoids — also are found in grape juice, especially the variety made from red and dark purple Concord grapes. Independent studies have found that, like alcohol, grape juice can reduce the risk of blood clots and prevent LDL (“bad” cholesterol) from sticking to coronary arteries, among other cardiac benefits. One, conducted by scientists at the University of Wisconsin and published in the
