Grape Pulp is Cardioprotective

The flesh of grapes is equally cardioprotective as the skin of grapes, according to U.S. and Italian researchers.

Researchers at the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine, the University of Milan and several other research institutes in Italy have found evidence that the pulp of grapes appears just as heart-healthy in laboratory experiments as the skin.

The study, published in the American Chemical Society Journal of Agricultural & Food Chemistry, challenges the idea that red wine is more heart-healthy than white wine.

Although further study is needed to identify the principle ingredients responsible for the cardioprotective abilities of the grape flesh, to the best of our knowledge, our study provides evidence for the first time that the flesh of grapes is equally cardioprotective with respect to the skins, said Dipak K. Das of the University Of Connecticut School Of Medicine, who headed the study.

Past studies indicated that the cardioprotective compounds in grapes — polyphenolic antioxidants — reside in the skin and seeds. Grape skins, which contain purple pigment, are crushed with the pulp to make red wines.