Grape Extract Decreases Inflammation

Grapes and red wine contain abundant quantities of resveratrol, a potent polyphenol for which a variety of health benefits including effects on heart health, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and other inflammation-related diseases have been suggested.  Juan Caralos Espin, from CEBAS-CSIC (Spain), and colleagues studied 75 men and women who were prescribed statins to treat cardiovascular disease, who received either a resveratrol-rich grape supplement (resveratrol 8 mg), a conventional resveratrol-three grape supplement, or placebo, for six months. The dose was then respectively doubled for the next six months. The team observed a  26% decrease in levels of C-Reactive Protein (CRP), an established marker of inflammation, among those subjects given the resveratrol-rich grape supplement only, with no changes in the other two groups. In addition, other markers of inflammation decreased, including 19.8% decrease in tumor necrosis factor-alpha and 16.8% decrease in plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1. The study authors conclude that: “Our results show for the first time that a dietary intervention with grape resveratrol could complement the gold standard therapy in the primary prevention of [cardiovascular disease].”