There is new research to support what we already know about grapes--grapes help to fight disease!  The research was conducted on rats—and they were tested to see if eating grapes could help to fight high blood pressure that resulted from eating a salty diet…  The positive results of this study are being credited to the flavonoids in grapes.

This recent research took place at the University of Michigan Cardiovascular Center in Ann Arbor, and you can read more about it in the October issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences.

The rats were put into 5 groups with various levels of salt, meds, and grapes—the results showed that the rats that ate the grape powder (green, red, and black grape mix)  had lower blood pressure, reduced inflammation, less heart muscle damage and their hearts functioned better.  Don’t stop taking your heart meds yet—the rats on meds had lower blood pressure, but their heart damage was greater than the grape fed rats’ group.

Just a little more evidence that supports my motto:  eat grapes, drink grape juice, and enjoy red wine and you will be provided with multiple levels of protection against a variety of diseases.  Red grapes are in season—buy some today!
 

Chronic Intake of a Phytochemical-Enriched Diet Reduces Cardiac Fibrosis and Diastolic Dysfunction Caused by Prolonged Salt-Sensitive Hypertension. E. M. Seymour, Andrew A. M. Singer, Maurice R. Bennink, Rushi V. Parikh, Ara Kirakosyan, Peter B. Kaufman, and Steven F. Bolling. J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci. 2008 63: 1034-1042.