Grape Juice May Lower Blood Pressure by Relaxing Arteries

(April 2005) A human trial on 40 Korean men with mild hypertension has shown that grape juice consumed for eight weeks caused a significant drop in blood pressure.

A new laboratory study from the Louis Pasteur University in Strasbourg, France, led by Valerie Schini-Kerth, found that Concord grape juice produced arterial relaxation by increasing the activity of a nitric oxide synthase in cells lining the arterial wall.

John D. Folts, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine also has research that shows the lowering of blood pressure in a laboratory model, as well as the lowering of cholesterol and the inhibition of atherosclerosis, compared to a placebo group.

Previous studies have shown that Concord grape juice enables the brachial arteries to expand to accommodate increased blood flow. Likewise, other research has shown that nitric oxide production from platelets may be the mechanism behind Concord grape juice's ability to reduce the tendency for the blood to clot.

Dr. Folts said that the new results suggested that Concord grape juice is functioning on a number of levels in the cardiovascular system.

A larger trial will be necessary to confirm the blood pressure lowering effect.

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