Daily consumption of red grape cell powder in a dietary dose improves cardiovascular parameters: a double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study

Consumption of polyphenol-rich food and food ingredient such as grape and grape products improved various cardiovascular parameters. In this study, we investigate the effect of dietary daily consumption of red grape cell powder (RGC) on blood pressure (BP) and flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) as well as on oxidative stress in 50 subjects with prehypertension and mild hypertension. The subjects were randomized into groups that consumed 200, 400 mg RGC or placebo daily for 12 weeks. RGC consumption was associated with an improvement of FMD (p = 0.013). There was a significant decrease in lipid peroxidation (p = 0.013) after 12 weeks in a combined RGC-treated group. The diastolic BP decreased significantly in the 200 mg RGC group compared to the placebo group (p = 0.032). Our results indicate that a daily supplementation, of red grape cell powder, for 12 weeks affects endothelial function, diastolic BP and oxidative stress without any adverse effects.