Grape Compounds Protect Heart, Liver, Kidneys

Characterized by central obesity, hypertension, and adverse glucose and insulin metabolism, Metabolic Syndrome is a condition associated with increased risk of type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.  E. Mitchell Seymour, from the University of Michigan Health System (Michigan, USA), and colleagues studied the effects of a high fat, American-style diet both with added grapes and without grapes (the control diet) on the heart, liver, kidneys, and fat tissue in obesity-prone rats. The grapes – a blend of red, green and black varieties – were provided as a freeze-dried grape powder and integrated into the animals’ diets for 90 days.  The data revealed that three months of a grape-enriched diet significantly reduced inflammatory markers throughout the body, but most significantly in the liver and in abdominal fat tissue.  Consuming grapes also reduced liver, kidney and abdominal fat weight, compared with those consuming the control diet.  Additionally, grape intake increased markers of antioxidant defense, particularly in the liver and kidneys.