Star News Agency
Grapes have been shown to lower blood pressure and improve heart function in lab rats fed an otherwise salty diet, as per a U.S. report published in the Journal of Gerontology said Dr K K Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India. Grapes have a direct impact on cardiovascular risk, beyond the simple blood pressure–lowering impact known from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
In the study some of the rats ate a diet containing a powder from red, green and purple table grapes and a high–salt diet. After 18 weeks, the rats that ate the grape–enriched diet had lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation throughout their bodies, and fewer signs of heart muscle damage than rats that ate a salty diet but no grapes. Flavonoids, found in grapes, green tea, cocoa and tomatoes, could have an effect on blood pressure. Flavonoids have been shown in other studies to have heart–health benefits.
Studies on chocolate, almond and walnut have shown similar heart benefits, including reducing inflammation in blood vessels and lowering the risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Grape powder comprised about three percent of the rats’ diet. For humans, that would be about nine servings of grapes a day. One serving is about 15 grapes. (135 grapes)
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