THE ESSENTIAL
- In France, 80,000 people have a myocardial infarction each year and around 12,000 patients die of a heart attack.
- Grapes improve cardiovascular health, by stimulating the diversity of gut bacteria and reducing cholesterol levels.
Breakfast, followingnoon tea, dinner … Grapes can be tasted at any time of the day. This fruit is renowned for its aroma but also for its many health benefits. According to work published in the scientific journal Nutrients in November, consuming it regularly would improve cardiovascular health, more specifically prevent a myocardial infarction, more commonly called a “heart attack”.
To reach this conclusion, scientists at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA), United States, recruited 19 people. The participants had to drink the equivalent of 1.5 cups of grapes per day for four weeks. During the study, the rest of their diet was low in fiber and polyphenols, a family of organic molecules found in different foods, including grapes.
The rate of “bad cholesterol” has fallen by 5.9%
“After four weeks of grape consumption, there was an increase in microbial diversity, as measured by the Shannon Index, a tool commonly used to measure species diversity. Among the beneficial bacteria that increased was the Akkermansia. It is of great interest for its effect on glucose and lipid metabolism, as well as on the integrity of the intestinal wall “, the study authors said in a communicated.
Another observation: a drop in the total cholesterol level estimated at 6.1% thanks to polyphenols, present in large quantities in grapes. Researchers also observed a 5.9% reduction in LDL cholesterol, also known as “bad cholesterol”. The results showed that bile acids, which are synthesized by the liver from cholesterol, were reduced by 40.9%.
“We have found that grapes have a beneficial effect on gut bacteria, which is great news, as a healthy gut is essential for good health. (…) This study deepens our knowledge and broadens the range of benefits of grape for health, even if it strengthens the virtues of grapes for heart health by reducing cholesterol “, said Professor Zhaoping Li, author of the study.