Heart Disease, Resveratrol and NutraGrape

Research conducted by ARS horticulturist James B. Magee and Mississippi State nutritionist Betty J. Ector predicts that the muscadine will not only be an alternative crop for growers in the Southeast, but a new health food as well.

Magee and Ector have found significant amounts of resveratrol the compound in French red and white wines that is being touted as an agent for lowering cholesterol levels and the risk of coronary heart disease—in the skin, pulp, and seeds of these grapes. 

There are several studies that show Muscadine grapes and their products assist in the reduction of cholesterol and improve overall heart health.

One of your most important goals in life is to stay healthy.

Because your state of health changes as you get older, you must continuously modify your behavior to enhance your health and to delay the onset of preventable diseases. Heart disease is the #1 killer of everyone over forty and is particularly hard on men.

In addition to pain and suffering, all forms of heart disease will be extremely expensive. When you consider the financial pressures on our health care system today, you will want to do all you can to minimize your exposure to major medical problems.

How to Reduce Your Risk
You have to give your body a break from unhealthy stresses. Self-responsibility for a healthy lifestyle is the key. You must take charge of your body and do all you can to reduce the risk of heart disease. It is common knowledge that some of the things that cause heart disease are smoking tobacco products, being overweight, being under too much stress and having high blood pressure or a high cholesterol count.

It is also common knowledge that appropriate checkups with a knowledgeable physician and the moderate consumption of wine are among the ways you can reduce your risk factors for heart disease.

World Health Organization data indicates that antioxidants in wine may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease by 40% when used properly.

For years medical researchers were puzzled by the French, who consumed one of the highest fat diets anywhere and yet had an astonishing 42% lower incidence of heart disease than Americans. Research at major medical centers including Harvard and The University of Wisconsin concluded the French secret was their consumption of red wine. 60 Minutes called the phenomenon "The French Paradox".

Dr. Morton Groenback in the Copenhagen City Heart Study evaluated diets of approximately ten thousand individuals for ten years and discovered that wine prevents heart diseases. Individuals who incorporated wine in their diet did not develop arteriosclerosis as much and lived longer than those who did not drink wine.