A glass of purple grape juice is more fruitful than you might have imagined. According to preliminary research by a University of Scranton professor, the fruit of the grapevine appears to bear powerful antioxidant qualities that may promote the body's healthy cardiovascular function. The study, published in the February 2001 issue of Journal of Medicinal Food , used novel and extremely accurate methodology to research the antioxidant qualities of grape juice.
High cholesterol is, of course, a scientifically documented risk factor for heart disease.
Recently LDL oxidation has been hypothesized as the beginning of the atherosclerosis process that starts in childhood. The study led by Joe A. Vinson, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at The University of Scranton, analyzed lab tests and the results of human subjects drinking grape juice and orange juice. In our research, which involved two different test tube models, we saw dramatically superior antioxidant performance by grape juice. We added grape juice to either human plasma or human LDL and then oxidized it. Grape juice was very effective, but orange juice had no antioxidant effect.