Grape juice and Clotting

Study: Grape juice could save dry Utahns' heartsA local study may show it has a similar benefit to red wineBy Heather May The Salt Lake TribuneIt's been shown that drinking red wine can reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. But not even the promise of a healthy heart will entice Utah teetotalers to imbibe. Grape juice - now that's a drink they can guzzle. Juice producers already say the Concord grapes used in grape juice may have the same heart benefits as those that make a pinot noir. Now, Utahns - a majority of whom belong to the LDS Church, which eschews alcohol - are helping prove or debunk the claim. "There's sufficient evidence for us to believe that there are similar components in the purple grape juice that may provide the same benefit" as wine, said Benjamin Horne, a cardiovascular clinical epidemiologist who is the principal investigator of Intermountain Healthcare's "Purple Grape Juice Study." Horne, who doesn't drink alcohol, came up with the idea at an American Heart Association meeting a couple of years ago. Welch Foods had a booth touting the health benefits of its grape juice, and Horne added it to his diet. When he combined it with aspirin, he noticed he bruised more easily and his blood didn't clot as quickly if he was scratched. He decided to investigate whether the juice affects blood clotting. If it, like aspirin, keeps the blood thin - thus preventing clogged arteries - that could reduce drinkers' risk of heart attacks, he said. "If you are routinely using grape juice and it's thinning your blood a little bit, you would have this naturally protective factor . . . that is helping to reduce your risk of heart attack," he said. Welch is one of the study funders, along with Deseret Foundation, an arm of Intermountain. Welch provides the juice and a placebo that smells, looks and tastes like juice but doesn't contain its antioxidants, called polyphenols. Participants must drink about 10 ounces a day, depending on their weight, for three months. Neither the researchers nor the 100 participants know what they're drinking. Results should be in by the beginning of 2009. A 2000 Danish study found red wine drinkers had half the risk of dying from heart disease. And a 2001 London study showed red wine inhibits a protein that can lead to coronary atherosclerosis. While some studies suggest it is the alcohol in the wine that protects the heart, others pinpoint the antioxidants, including resveratrol and flavonoids, found in the grapes. Short-term studies in humans and mice have suggested similar benefits with grape juice. The Utah study is different because it involves more patients, as well as more time for the possible benefits of the juice to accumulate. "One of the most remarkable things about the French paradox, where they eat a higher-fat diet in France but they also drink a glass of red wine each day [and have healthier hearts], is they do it for a long period of time. It's more of a lifetime habit," Horne said. Similarly, "the effects [of grape juice] probably build up over time." Michelle Robinson, of Farmington, enrolled because, as a Mormon, she doesn't drink alcohol. "It would be nice to have [juice] as an alternative," she said.