Resveratrol with Red Wine Polyphenols improve blood vessel function and blood flow in patients with coronary heart disease

In patients with coronary heart disease the endothelial lining of blood vessels doesn't function properly and cannot adjust to differences in blood flow. This deleteriously affects heart rate and blood pressure. In healthy blood vessels the endothelial lining reacts to larger volumes of blood flow and the vessels can open (dilate); this helps lower blood pressure and decreases stress on the heart.

In this study, 30 male patients with coronary heart disease were given either a Red Grape Polyphenol Extract or placebo and then had their blood vessel function checked (before supplementation or placebo) and again 30, 60 and 120 minutes after receiving the Red Grape Polyphenols or placebo. The Red Grape Polyphenols mimicked those in Red Wine and included a variety of Red Wine Polyphenols and Trans-Resveratrol. The Red Grape Polyphenol Extract caused the blood vessels to open to support improved blood flow. This improvement was significantly greater then before supplementation with almost a 50% greater dilation of blood vessels. The placebo had no effect on dilating blood vessels. The study is published in the December 2005 issue of the European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation; the official journal of the European Society of Cardiology.

Commentary by Jerry Hickey, R.Ph.

At the start of this study the impact of the supplements Green Tea Extract and CLA were not even thought of yet - studies show these both impact weight.

Mayo Clinic doctors find that patients with low grade B-cell leukemia are responding to Green Tea Extracts high in EGCG

Researchers from the Division of Hematology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Mn. Have recently published a paper where especially the Green Tea polyphenol EGCG caused leukemia B-cells from a majority of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) to die in laboratory studies. After publishing the paper, they had 4 patients with low grade B-cell leukemia enter their medical clinic and they found the patients had started Green Tea Extracts high in EGCG on their own. Before starting the EGCG the patients had clinical evidence of worsening leukemia. Soon after starting the extract high in EGCG it was found that in 3 out of 4 of these patients there was clinical evidence that the Green Tea Extract was killing the leukemia cells and their condition was improving. The Mayo Clinic has recently started a Phase I/II study on decaffeinated Green Tea Extract high in EGCG for the treatment of CLL (funded by the NIH). The report is published in the November 30th, 2005 issue of the journal Leukemia Research.