Grape Seed Extract

You would have to eat a lot of grapes or raisins, or drink gallons of wine, to consume the same level of active components analyzed in most studies.

High-quality grape seed extract is an excellent alternative because it is a pure source of procyanidins, compounds believed to be responsible for grape's benefits without the added calories, sugar or alcohol.

Grape seed extracts have properties that are comparable to another well-known molecule: Nitric Oxide (NO), as the two have similar metabolic pathways.
One patented ingredient, available as Mega-Natural-BP, has been shown to affect the flexibility of blood vessels.

Blood vessel walls are, like all tissue, a collection of cells. This grape seed extract acts on the endothelial cells which contributes to the tone, or flexibility, of the blood vessel wall.

This powerful circulatory effect lends the use of premium grape seed extract to at least three applications that appeal to the health-conscious, waistline watchers and muscle heads(gym buffs) alike.

According to the 2006 Update of Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics published in Circulation, about one in three U.S. adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure. It's the number one risk factor for having a stroke, and contributes to heart attacks, heart failure, kidney failure and hardening of the arteries.



A recent study indicates grape seed extract may help in all of those areas - a major benefit to anyone concerned with his or her long-term health.

That's great news for the one third of adults who must manage this condition.

Grape seed is used for treating and preventing vascular or circulatory disorders including venous insufficiency, varicose veins, atherosclerosis, hypertension, diabetic neuropathy or retinopathy, peripheral vascular disease, edema associated with injury or surgery and myocardial or cerebral infarction.

It is also used for improving wound healing, preventing dental caries, cancer prevention, macular degeneration, poor night vision, liver cirrhosis, allergic rhinitis and prevention of collagen breakdown associated with collagen diseases and aging.

Grape seed extract contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) or procyanidins which are responsible fore these (antioxidant) actions.

Preliminary evidence suggests grape seed proanthocyanidins may provide greater protection against reactive oxygen species, free radical-induced lipid peroxidation and DNA damage than the combination of vitamin E, vitamin C and beta-carotene, or a combination of vitamin E and vitamin C. Grape seed proanthocyanidins seem to inhibit the cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) enzyme, which might protect normal cells against drug and chemical-induced toxicity.

There is preliminary evidence that grape seed proanthocyanidins might protect against tobacco-induced and chemotherapy drug-induced damage to normal cells. Grape seed proanthocyanidins seem to decrease the proliferation of gastric adenocarcinoma, breast cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer cells by inhibiting cell growth and increasing cell death. OPCs are also thought to inhibit the proteolytic enzymes collagenase, elastase, hyaluronidase and beta glucuronidase, which are involved in the breakdown of structural components of the vasculature and skin.

Grape seeds also contain catechin, which pre-clinical research suggests might inhibit allergen-induced histamine release from mast cells.

The same
grape seed extract properties that reduce blood pressure may also impact the millions of men and women who are trying to manage their weight.

Balancing energy and activity poses a challenge to men and women everywhere.

Early research into the action of grape seed extract let to its new role in a class of dietary supplements called thermogenics.

Thermogenesis literally means "creating heat".

Thermogenics raise the body's core temperature and, in turn, raise the metabolic rate and accelerate energy expenditure(calorie burning).

The Tough equation that's so important for weight management, "calories in = calories out", becomes easier when a grape seed product can accelerate the calories burned during and even after exercise by as much as 60 Percent.

Grape seed extract lowered the blood pressure of patients who participated in a UC Davis study of the benefits of the supplement on people with high blood pressure.


Conducted by UC Davis cardiovascular researchers, the study was the first human clinical trial to assess the effect of grape seed extract on people with metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease, including high blood pressure, excess abdominal body weight, high blood cholesterol fats and high blood sugar.
The researchers will present the results at the American Chemical Society Meeting and Exposition on March 26 in Atlanta, and at the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology's 2006 meeting in San Francisco April 2.

It is estimated that 40 percent of American adults, or 50 million people, have metabolic syndrome.

The one-month study involved 24 male and female patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. The patients were divided into three groups of eight. The first group received a placebo, while the second and third groups received 150 milligrams and 300 milligrams, respectively, of a new grape seed extract. All participants' blood pressure was automatically measured and recorded for 12 hours after ingestion.

"Participants in the two groups receiving grape seed extract experienced an equal degree of reduced blood pressure. The average drop in systolic pressure was 12 millimeters. The average drop in diastolic pressure was 8 millimeters," said the study's lead researcher, C. Tissa Kappagoda, professor of cardiovascular medicine and director of the Preventive Cardiology Program at UC Davis.

Kappagoda adds that the group taking 300 milligrams of grape seed extract also had reduced serum oxidized LDL cholesterol levels.

"Generally, the higher their initial oxidized LDL level was, the greater the drop by the end of the study," he said. The extract has received the GRAS (generally recognized as safe) certification from the FDA and has no known side effects.

* Grape seed extract is used for conditions related to the heart and blood vessels, such as atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and poor circulation.

* Other reasons for the use of grape seed extract include complications related to diabetes, such as nerve and eye damage; vision problems, such as macular degeneration (which can cause blindness); and swelling after an injury or surgery.

* Grape seed extract is also used for cancer prevention and wound healing.

* Laboratory studies have shown that grape seed contains antioxidants-substances that prevent cell damage caused by free radicals, which are highly reactive molecules that can damage cell function. However, it is still unclear how grape seed might affect human health.

* Grape seed extracts have shown some beneficial antioxidant effects in preliminary clinical trials. However, few trials have looked at specific diseases or conditions, and little scientific evidence is available.

* A study funded by the National Cancer Institute found that grape seed extract did not reduce the hardening of breast tissue that can occur after radiation therapy for breast cancer.

* The National Cancer Institute is also funding studies evaluating whether grape seed extract is effective in preventing breast and prostate cancers.

* NCCAM is studying whether the action of grape seed extract and its components may benefit the heart or have protective effects in the brain.