Fruit Juice Helps our Hearts; Fights Arterial Plaque Even Better Than Fruit Itself

by Dr. Don Rose

Based on an article by Jon Barron on his Health Blog

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Have a hankering to hear how to help your heart stay healthy? How about some fruit juice! We always knew it tasted great, but now comes new proof it is good for us, too. Of course, for optimum heart health, fruit juice plus fitness activities plus a fine diet will help even more, but the research study discussed below shows that we now have even more reason to drink grape juice and apple juice instead of sodas. In short, this is grape news for everyone, from California to Apple-ate-ya. Okay, enough puns, just read the story below for all the juicy details. --Don Rose

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Introduction

Researchers from Universite Montpellier in France recently discovered that grapes and apples may prevent plaque from coating arterial walls when consumed with fatty, high-cholesterol foods. The researchers also found that apple and grape juices have a more powerful anti-plaque effect than the fruits themselves.

Research Study

The study followed several groups of hamsters -- one fed a normal diet, while the others enjoyed high-fat diets plus either fruit, water, or juice. The amount of fruit consumed by the little rodents was the human equivalent of three apples or bunches of grapes a day; the amount of juice was the equivalent of about four glasses. The hamsters in the purple grape juice group fared the best, with the lowest level of atherosclerosis, followed by those eating purple grapes. The apple-juice and apple-eating hamsters scored third and fourth, respectively. All the fruit- and juice-eating hamsters had lower cholesterol, less oxidative stress, and less fat accumulation in their aortas than the hamsters who consumed no fruit or juice.

The researchers assume that the cardiac benefits of fruit probably derive from phenolic compounds -- powerful antioxidants found in grapes and apples. Although grapes and apples contain the same amount of phenols in fruit form, grape juice has two-and-a-half times the amount that apple juice does. Earlier studies have found significant differences in phenol content from one fruit juice to another, with blueberry juice the leader of the pack, and apple, grape, pomegranate juices containing far more than the ever-popular orange, pineapple, and grapefruit juices.

According to the Universite Montpellier research team, the findings suggest that the amount of phenols contained in a food have a direct effect on its antioxidant properties. The results, they write, "provide encouragement that fruit and fruit juices may have a significant clinical and public health relevance."

Fruit vs. Fruit Juices

But that's only part of the story. A primary reason juices outperform fresh fruits in delivering antioxidants has to do with the way juice concentrates the nutrients. You get more bioactive punch for the mouthful from juice because you don't have to eat all that fiber. Also, the body can utilize the nutrients more readily since it doesn't have to separate nutrients from the fiber, minimizing the amount of energy consumed in digestion and freeing up that energy for healing. Thirdly, not all phenols are the same. Some, like EGCG in green tea, resveratrol in grapes, and curcumin in the spice turmeric, stand out. And then, of course, in addition to phenols, fruit juices contain other antioxidants such as Vitamin C, as well as minerals, living enzymes, and an assortment of phytochemicals.

Fresh Juice vs. Commercial Bottled Juice

Before you decide to implement the good news by washing down your beefsteak and fries with a glass of Welch's, here's something to consider. There's a world of difference between commercial bottled juice and freshly made juice. Within minutes of juicing, many of the nutrients and enzymes start to break down, rendering the benefits far less potent. By the time bottled juice gets to your mouth, particularly if it's been processed, it's a shadow of its original self. Also, while fruit juices provide many benefits, they contain a lot of sugar, so many people recommend emphasizing vegetable juices instead. In fact, a good juicer is probably the single best investment you can make in your health.

Juicing

If you don't already own a juicer, look for a machine that's great at extraction, but also easy to use and clean. Some powerful juicers are so difficult to clean that they may end up going unused. Note that you can spend stratospheric amounts on a juicer such as a Norwalk, or pick a perfectly acceptable L'equip for about $130. The Jack LaLanne Power Juicer is another choice (you may have seen its ubiquitous infomercials on TV).

In terms of extraction, some people like the twin magnetic gear system used in juicers like the Green Star. But the Green Star has a big footprint on the counter and takes a bit of effort to clean -- although it's not as difficult as the Norwalk. Some say it is best for fasts, or when juicing heavily for several days in a row -- just clean it at the end of each day. If you're doing a lot of juicing during any given day, the Green Star is the way to go.

If you're new to juicing, consider the L'equip Mini Model 110.5 pulp ejector juicer. It may not have the best extraction method, but it does a decent job. Also, relative to most high-end juicers, it's quick to use and clean. With this Model, it's not that hard to make a quick glass of fresh squeezed juice -- the main thing many folks want from a juicer.

Closing Thoughts

Juicing is a great way to improve one’s health, but it is not recommended to make your juice and then eat junk food to round out your meals like the hamsters did. Although juice may moderate some of the harmful effects of high-fat, high-glycemic diets, it provides far more benefit when used as part of a healthy diet routine. In fact, there are many advocates of juice fasting because it gives the body a chance to detoxify and rebuild.

Also, while the information above shows that a good way to keep “heart healthy” is to drink more fruit juices, one never knows when one’s heart might malfunction, for any number of reasons. It can happen to anyone, at any age, even if you’ve lowered your risk for heart problems via good diet and exercise. If you sense the onset of a heart attack or irregular rhythms, call 911. If you are not near a phone, cannot get to a phone or cannot punch in the numbers, you can still get immediate help if you are a member of Life Alert; simply press your Life Alert help button to get in touch with live dispatchers within seconds, 24/7. They can send medical assistance to you, which will arrive in a matter of minutes. Life Alert members who are not home can also use a special one-button 911 cell phone (an optional Life Alert feature). If you don’t currently have Life Alert, see below for links to information on this valuable service.

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The article above is covered by a Creative Commons License. The information provided is, to the best of our knowledge, reliable and accurate. However, while Life Alert always strives to provide true, precise and consistent information, we cannot guarantee 100 percent accuracy. Readers are encouraged to review the original article, and use any resource links provided to gather more information before drawing conclusions and making decisions.

Dr. Don Rose writes books, papers and articles on computers, the Internet, AI, science and technology, and issues related to seniors.

For more information about Life Alert and its many services for seniors and younger adults nationwide, please visit the following websites:
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VIAGRAMELON? WATERMELON SEEMS TO YIELD VIAGRA-LIKE RESULTS; RELAX, EAT A SLICE, RELAX YOUR BLOOD VESSELS, PERFORM NICE

This slice of Fourth of July virility news is from the excellent email service sent out by Levine Breaking News (www.lbnElert.com):

SCIENTISTS SAY WATERMELON YIELDS VIAGRA-LIKE EFFECTS:
A slice of cool, fresh watermelon is a juicy way to top off a Fourth of July cookout and one that researchers say has effects similar to Viagra - but don't necessarily expect it to keep the fireworks all night long. Watermelons contain an ingredient called citrulline that can trigger production of a compound that helps relax the body's blood vessels, similar to what happens when a man takes Viagra, said scientists in Texas, one of the nation's top producers of the seedless variety.


Email sponsored by Life Alert, www.seniorprotection.com

DARK NOT A LARK: WHY DARK CHOCOLATE IS GOOD FOR YOU

The blog Penguin Food has a fun article about "Three bad foods that are really good" (love that title). Here is what they say about dark chocolate:

"Eating a small amount of dark chocolate every day could be good for you... A study has found that a regular 2oz dose can lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of having a heart attack or stroke - without any weight gain."

Most of the post's dark-chocolate-good-news seems to be from a Daily Mail article, which says, among other things, that "Blood pressure lowered in this way could reduce the risk of death from a stroke by 8 per cent and from coronary artery disease by 5 per cent, the University of Cologne scientists found. It would also reduce risk of death generally by 4 per cent. A daily diet of a little chocolate had the same effect as more complicated diets designed to lower blood pressure, according to the authors of the study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 'Although the magnitude of the blood pressure reduction was small, the effects are clinically noteworthy,' they said. 'Adoption of small amounts of flavanol-rich cocoa into the habitual diet is a dietary modification that is easy to adhere to, and therefore may be a promising behavioural approach to lower blood pressure in individuals with above-optimal blood pressure.'

The Penguin Blog post continues with some tongue-in-cheeky observations:

Of course 'they' try to spoil the fun and emphasise that we can only eat a little bit of chocolate, and besides, fruit and vegetables are better for you - but they forget the little point that fruit and vegetables dont taste as nice as chocolate. Chocolate makes you feel better. If you feel better - you are more relaxed, and therefore your heart is more relaxed and beats more comfortably. You could eat more fruit, but your added miserability will increase the pressure on your heart anyway."

To read the full blog post (you want to know what their OTHER TWO "bad/good" foods are, right?), go to: http://penguin-food.blogspot.com/2007/07/three-bad-foods-that-are-really-good.html (the post seems to be authored by a bloke named Graham, the man behind the Penguin Food blog, and this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 UK: England & Wales License).