The Health Benefits of Purple Grape Juice

There have been a number of studies confirming the health benefits of drinking red wine. But what if you don't like the taste of wine or want to avoid alcohol? Well, the good news is that purple grape juice confers many of the same heart-healthy benefits as red wine while offering some distinct advantages.

Purple grape juice contains the same highly potent, health-producing antioxidants as wine without the alcohol. These antioxidants are called flavonoids. Numerous medical studies show that flavonoids reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol oxidation, improve arterial elasticity, reduce blood pressure and fight atherosclerosis.

A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin Medical school shows that patients who already have coronary artery disease can benefit tremendously from drinking purple grape juice. After drinking a tall glass of grape juice every day for two weeks, these patients developed more elasticity in their arteries which reduced their blood pressure and allowed their blood to flow more freely.

Resveratrol - yet another antioxidant found in purple grape juice - is a natural occurring element that protects plants from fungal infection and other environmental stressors. Multiple studies conducted around the globe suggest that it may provide a broad range of health benefits to humans as well. These include a reduced risk of contracting certain cancers, improved vision, a slowing of the aging process, and a reduced risk of contracting herpes simplex virus types 1 and 2.

As mentioned above, there are distinct advantages that purple grape juice has over wine. For instance, while both help reduce the risk of developing blood clots, it requires a lot more wine than grape juice to achieve this effect. Remember, alcohol is only healthful in moderation. That means no more than one drink a day for women and two drinks a day for men. Imbibe more than this, and you run the risk of developing a range of serious health problems.

Another drawback is that alcoholic beverages do not improve the function of blood vessel linings the way grape juice does, and alcohol generates the formation of harmful free radicals, which can damage blood vessel tissues.

You may be wondering why this article focuses on purple grape juice as opposed to white and/or red grape juice. That's because purple grape juice is much richer in antioxidants. Indeed, purple grape juice is so rich in antioxidants that it rivals (and arguably exceeds) the health benefits of red wine. It's a heart-healthy, family-friendly, disease-fighting alternative to red wine. What could be better than that!