Fruit Can Keep Your Arteries Squeaky Clean

Sunday, June 8, 2008 @ 11:06 AM | comment (0)

Researchers fed hamsters fruit and juice along with a fatty diet. The animals who were fed grape juice had the lowest risk of developing artery problems. The benefits came from the fruits’ high levels of phenols, a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants in various foods are already known to be beneficial to heart health. In this case, the team wanted to see how juicing affected the phenol content, because most studies have looked at raw fruit.

The hamsters were given an amount of fruit equivalent to three apples, or three bunches of grapes for a human weighing 154 pounds (70 kg), and drank the equivalent of four glasses of juice daily.

Compared to the control group that was given water, those given fruit or fruit juice experienced several health benefits, including:

• Lower cholesterol
• Less oxidative stress
• Less fat accumulation in their aorta

Purple grape juice was the most potent, followed by purple grapes, apple juice, and apples. Other antioxidants, such as vitamin C and carotenoids may also contribute to their overall effect.

Sunday, June 8, 2008 @ 11:06 AM | comment (0)

Researchers fed hamsters fruit and juice along with a fatty diet. The animals who were fed grape juice had the lowest risk of developing artery problems. The benefits came from the fruits’ high levels of phenols, a potent antioxidant. Antioxidants in various foods are already known to be beneficial to heart health. In this case, the team wanted to see how juicing affected the phenol content, because most studies have looked at raw fruit.

The hamsters were given an amount of fruit equivalent to three apples, or three bunches of grapes for a human weighing 154 pounds (70 kg), and drank the equivalent of four glasses of juice daily.

Compared to the control group that was given water, those given fruit or fruit juice experienced several health benefits, including:

• Lower cholesterol
• Less oxidative stress
• Less fat accumulation in their aorta

Purple grape juice was the most potent, followed by purple grapes, apple juice, and apples. Other antioxidants, such as vitamin C and carotenoids may also contribute to their overall effect.