Concord grape juice supplementation reduces blood pressure in Korean hypertensive men: Double‐blind, placebo controlled intervention trial

• Published in: BioFactors (Oxford) Vol. 22; no. 1‐4; pp. 145 - 147
• Main Authors: Park, Yoo Kyoung, Kim, Jung‐Shin, Kang, Myung‐Hee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam IOS Press 2004
• Subjects: Blood Pressure - drug effects; Body Mass Index; comet assay; Dietary Supplements; DNA damage; Double-Blind Method; double‐blind; grape juice; Humans; Hypertension - prevention & control; Korea; Male; Phytotherapy; Placebos; placebo‐controlled; Vitis; Korea
• ISSN: 0951-6433; 1872-8081
• DOI: 10.1002/biof.5520220128

Many of the flavonoids found in grapes and grape products such as juice or wine have been known to exert antioxidant, anti‐inflammatory, platelet inhibitory and arterial relaxing effects either in vitro, in animal studies and in human trials. This study was designed to test the effect of Concord grape juice consumption on altering blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Forty subjects were given 5.5 ml/kg body weight/day of either Concord grape juice (CGJ) or a calorie‐matched placebo drink every day for 8 weeks. Blood pressure (BP) was measured on weeks 0, 4 and 8. Compared to baseline, in the CGJ group systolic BP was reduced on average by 7.2 mm Hg (p = 0.005) and diastolic BP was reduced on average by 6.2 mm Hg (p = 0.001) at the end of 8 weeks. Comparable changes in the group getting the placebo product were ‐3.5 mm Hg (NS) and ‐3.2 mm Hg (p = 0.05) Consuming Concord grape juice, which is high in polyphenolic compounds, may favorably affect BP in hypertensive individuals.