Written by Jessica Patella, ND. Drinking fruit juice with added grapeseed extract for 6 weeks significantly improved systolic blood pressure in participating subjects compared to the control group.
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a major risk factor for fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular disease events, such as heart attack and stroke (1, 2). An estimated 70 million American adults have high blood pressure and it costs around $46 billion per year (3). Reducing high blood pressure can lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events, which is why controlling blood pressure is so important for public health (1, 4). Recent research has found that supplementing with grape seed extract can reduce blood pressure in people with pre-hypertension (1).
Pre-hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure (the top number) of 120-139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) of 80-89 mmHg (5). Current medical practice does not treat pre-hypertension, although lifestyle modifications, such as weight control, regular exercise and a healthy diet are recommended (1). Grapeseed extract, which comes from the seeds of grapes is used for wine production, has been shown to improve cardiovascular health markers (1, 6).
The recent research included 36 men and women with pre-hypertension. They were randomly divided into either a placebo group or grape seed extract group (1). Both groups received a fruit juice drink (blend of apple, red grape, pomegranate, raspberry; 12 oz., 40 kcal) with either 0 grams grape seed extract for the placebo or 150 mg grape seed extract (1). Participants were instructed to drink the beverages twice a day for a total daily dose of 300 mg per day for the grape seed extract group (1).
All participants drank the placebo drink for the first 2 weeks, followed by either placebo (n= 18) or grape seed extract (n=15) for 6-weeks. They finished with a follow-up phase where none of the participants drank anything (1).
Consumption of grape seed extract drink for 6 weeks resulted in a significant 5.6% reduction in the systolic blood pressure from baseline (125 mHg to 118 mmHg (P=0.02)). There was no change in the placebo group (1). The average systolic blood pressure was significantly different between the grape seed extract group and the placebo group at 6 weeks: 118 mmHg vs 127 mmHg (respectively, P=0.003) (1). Overall, the grape seed extract group had an average reduction of 7 mmHg in systolic blood pressure, while the placebo group had an increase of 1.4 mmHg (1).
The most interesting result to note was after stopping the grape seed extract beverages, the average systolic blood pressure increased to levels similar to baseline (125 mmHg to 124 mmHg) (1).
As for diastolic blood pressure, there was a reduction on average of 3.8 mmHg (from 83.0 to 79.1 mmHg) or 4.7% in the grape seed extract group, but the results did not reach statistical significance (P=0.08).
In conclusion, grape seed extract was shown to reduce the risk of hypertension in pre-hypertensive adults, by lowering systolic blood pressure (1). This is important because it is estimated that every 1 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure could prevent about 10,000 cardiovascular deaths in the United States each year (1,7). Future research should include more participants to confirm results (1).
Source: Park, Eunyoung, et al. “Effects of grape seed extract beverage on blood pressure and metabolic indices in individuals with pre-hypertension: a randomised, double-blinded, two-arm, parallel, placebo-controlled trial.” British Journal of Nutrition 115.02 (2016): 226-238.
© The Authors 2015
Posted February 1, 2016.
Jessica Patella, ND, is a naturopathic physician specializing in nutrition and homeopathic medicine and offers a holistic approach to health. She earned her ND from Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in Tempe, AZ, and is a member of the North Carolina Association of Naturopathic Physicians. Visit her website at www.awarenesswellness.com.
References:
- Park E, at al. Effects of grape seed extract beverage on blood pressure and metabolic indices in individuals with pre-hypertension: a randomized, double-blinded, two-arm, parallel, placebo-controlled trial. 2015 Brit J Nutr. DOI: 10.107/S0007114515004328
- Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stoke statistics – 2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association 2012 Circulation 125, e2-e220.
- High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
- Gaciong Z, et al. Blood pressure control and primary prevention of stroke: summary of the recent clinical trial data and meta-analysis. 2013. Curr Hypertens Rep 15; 559-574.
- Chobanian AV, et al. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure: the JNC 7 report 2003. JAMA 289, 2560-2572.
- Grape Seed Extract. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.
- Lewington S, et al. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies 2002. Lancet. 360, 1903-1913.
