What is it in red wine and purple grape juice that provides a cardioprotective benefit?
Earlier reports have suggested that red wine and purple grape juice protect against heart disease. At the 49th Annual Scientific Session of the American College of Cardiology in Anaheim, Calif., March 1215, 2000, researchers presented additional information on what the mechanism might be. One theory is that the flavonoid component of both beverages may prevent the accumulation of platelets on the blood vessel walls, thereby interfering with the hardening and narrowing of the arteries that is associated with heart disease. This was confirmed in a study of healthy people who drank a daily dose of purple grape juice, in whom researchers noted a decrease in the build-up of platelets. Relaxation of the walls of blood vessels is another mechanism considered to be a factor in lowering the risk of heart disease. In animal studies with red wine, ethanol, and quercetin (a major flavonoid constituent in red wine), both red wine and quercetin relaxed the walls of the coronary artery, with the grea
