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(Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology. 2004;24:e179.)
© 2004 American Heart Association, Inc.

Letters to the Editor

The Antiinflammatory Effects of Purple Grape Juice Consumption in Subjects with Stable Coronary Artery Disease

Anne R. Albers; Sonia Varghese; Olga Vitseva; Joseph A. Vita; Jane E. Freedman

Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute and Evans Department of Medicine, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

An extract of the first 250 words of the full text is provided, because this article has no abstract.

To the Editor:

Moderate consumption of red wine is associated with a reduction in cardiovascular disease,^1–4 and some of the cardioprotective effects have been attributed to the distinct polyphenolic compounds present in red wine and purple grape products. These polyphenols possess multiple biological effects, including antioxidant and free radical–scavenging properties^5,6 as well as inhibition of platelet activation.⁷ The growing interest in the presumed benefits of wine in protecting against coronary heart disease coupled with the inherent limitations in promoting alcohol consumption^8,9 has led to the examination of the potential beneficial vascular properties of alternative purple grape products. The effect of these flavonoid-rich substances in subjects with cardiovascular disease taking aspirin is unknown. In addition, their impact on the inflammatory properties of platelets has not been studied.

A double blind crossover study was conducted, in which 20 subjects with previously diagnosed coronary disease on standard medications were randomly assigned to drink either placebo or purple grape juice (PGJ; 7cc/kg/d, Welch’s Concord) for 14 days separated by a 2-week washout period. All patients maintained aspirin treatment (8 of 20 81 mg/d; 12 of 20 325 mg/d). Mean age was 63±9 (range 42 to 76) with 17 male and 3 female participants, 10 of 20 had hypertension, and 4 of 20 were active tobacco users. Medications included ACE inhibitor (8 of 20), diuretic therapy (2 of 20), calcium channel blocker (4 of 20), statin (18 of 20), ß-blocker (18 of 20), warfarin (2 of 20), and clopidogrel (2 of 20).

Venous blood was . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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