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Excerpts from Press Release Dangerous Cardiovascular Effect of Second Hand Smoke May Be Reduced by Drinking Purple Grape Juice

PRNewswire [04/19/99]

A new, preliminary animal study suggests that purple grape juice may block a dangerous cardiovascular effect of second hand smoke.

The research presented this morning at the annual meeting of the Federation of American Societies of Experimental Biology in Washington, DC (FASEB) reported that consuming purple grape juice neutralized the ability of tobacco smoke to increase the stickiness of blood platelets in laboratory animals exposed to second hand smoke. Increased platelet stickiness is a well-accepted contributor to atherosclerosis, heart attack and stroke.

``Cigarette smoking, and probably second hand smoke is a serious health risk,'' notes John D. Folts, Ph.D., author of the study. ``It increases the activity of our platelets; it impedes the functioning of our blood vessel linings; and it speeds the oxidation of cholesterol. These are three of the primary mechanisms that contribute to the development of coronary artery disease. Interestingly enough, purple grape juice appears to exert a beneficial effect on these three contributors.''

Second hand smoke is not only dangerous, it is pervasive. According to the American Cancer Society, 53,000 people will die each year of exposure to second hand smoke; roughly two thirds of those because of cardiovascular disease. The ACS also says that 20-25% of American households include at least one smoker -- thus putting the other household members, adults and children alike, at increased risk of heart disease.

Platelet aggregation -- or so-called ``stickiness'' -- refers to the blood's tendency to form clots and adhere to imperfections in the walls of blood vessels. Clots may form temporary blockages that reduce or stop the flow of blood through blood vessels. High levels of platelet aggregation have been shown to be a contributing factor for heart attack and stroke. The study presented at FASEB looked at the effect of exposure to second-hand smoke on the platelet activity of 8 anesthetized laboratory monkeys. Aggregation tests were performed to measure platelet activity at the beginning of the study -- to establish a baseline -- then after an acute exposure to second hand smoke. The tests were administered again after consumption of purple grape juice (12ml/kg of body weight) and then after a second exposure to the tobacco smoke. The tests showed that platelet activity increased from baseline by more than 50% after the initial exposure to second hand smoke. After the juice had been consumed, platelet activity fell to below the baseline measurement. A second exposure to the smoke had no effect on platelet aggregation; it remained below the baseline level.

``A great deal of research has been done on the negative effects of smoking and smoke exposure on our cardiovascular function,'' observes Dr. Folts. ``Although the study was small and conducted on anesthetized animals, the results are very interesting. What we found in this study is consistent with our previous research in humans and animals. Grape juice appears to be a potent inhibitor of platelet activity -- and that is an area where we see the cigarette smoke doing a lot of damage.''

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in January of 1998 (JAMA 1998;279:119-124) quantified for the first time the dangers of second hand smoke, finding a 20% greater progression of atherosclerosis among subjects routinely exposed to environmental tobacco smoke than to those who avoided the smoke over a span of three years. Smokers themselves experienced a 50% greater progression of atherosclerosis over the three-year period as compared to people who had never smoked. A study published in the March 25th, 1999 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM 1999;340:920-926 {958-959, accompanying editorial}) analyzed the results of 18 different studies of the effects of smoke exposure conducted between 1984 and 1997 and further underscored the dangers of second hand smoke.

Folts stresses, however, that the findings of his study did not measure the effect of drinking juice on the platelet activity of regular or active smokers, nor should the study be interpreted as providing a way to make smoking less dangerous.

``Smoking is one of the most destructive things we can do for our health, and for the health of people around us.'' he notes. ``Even though we see some potential protective effect from purple grape juice, smoke is so bad for us in so many ways, we should still avoid smoking or the exposure to smoke.''

The study was supported by the Oscar Rennenbohm Foundation, Madison, WI. Welch Foods, Inc. provides general funding to the University of Wisconsin's Coronary Thrombosis Research and Prevention Laboratory.

The Concord Grape Association is an association of growers and processors that handle more than 90 percent of the Concord grapes processed annually in the U.S.

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