Add Grapes to Your Diet for Heart Health

Grapes are most often seen in green and purple and have a tart and sweet flavor. This nutritious fruit will provide you with several essential minerals and vitamins, including potassium, vitamins B6 and B1, vitamin C and manganese. The heart health benefits of grapes are due to the polyphenols found in grapes. Here we will discuss the different heart health benefits of grapes and how grapes provide them.

Getting Grapes in Your Diet

Eating the fruit is the best way to reap the heart health benefits of grapes. Be sure to thoroughly rinse and wash them before you eat them. If you rather drink grape juice, make sure it is real grape juice. Much of what it on the market is actually "grape drink" that is packed with sugar and very little juice. Read the food label carefully to ensure you are actually getting real grape juice.

Grapes and Heart Disease

Nitric oxide helps to reduce blood clot formation and the body produced it. A study has shown that drinking grape juice increased nitric oxide levels. It also lowered red blood cell clotting.

Scientists have also discovered that grape skins help in preventing blood vessels from constricting by suppressing the protein responsible for causing it. This will ensure that plenty of oxygen is flowing to your heart.

Grapes and Heart Muscle Health and Flexibility

Resveratrol is one of the flavonoid present in grapes. It helps to inhibit a hormone known as angiotensin II that secretes in response to heart failure and high blood pressure. This hormone can negatively affect your heart health by signaling a type of heart muscle cell called cardiac fibroblasts. These secrete collagen, to proliferate. As a result excessive collagen is produced and your heart muscles starts to stiffen. When stiffened, its ability to efficiently pump blood is reduced.

Grapes and Stroke

A stroke is caused by an artery or blood clot bursting in the brain. The flavonoid resveratrol that is present in grapes can cause an improvement in the brains blood flow by 30 percent. This improvement can decrease stroke risk. Resveratrol stimulated the release and/or production of nitric oxide. This then told the surrounding muscle to relax. As the muscle relaxed, the blood vessel dilated, resulting in increased blood flow.

Grapes and Coronary Heart Disease in Women

In a study where scientists has women of varying ages add freeze-dried grape powder to water to water everyday and drink they found several benefits. These include lowered bad cholesterol and lowered triglyceride levels. It is believed these benefits were due to the phytonutrients found in grapes.

Resources

WHFoods: Grapes