Grape Skin Health Article

Preparations

Red grape skin extract is prepared in capsule form as a nutritional supplement. For adult maintenance, the therapeutic range is thought to be 200–600 mg at 30% anthocyanins (OPCs), although guidelines have not been definitively established.

The resveratrol found in red grape skin and its extract is also found in red wine and concord grape juice. However, grape juice has been found to have fewer benefits than red wine, due to the technique for processing the grapes. For example, grape juice has only one-third the anti-clotting properties of red wine.

Precautions

Although research is limited, scientific investigators have not issued any precautions regarding the use of grape skin or grape skin extract. However, people should be aware of the known side effects of red wine and resveratrol.

Side effects

There are many potential side effects to consuming excessive quantities of red wine (such as allergic reactions to sulfites, intoxication, and liver damage) in order to obtain the health benefits of resveratrol. Each individual must weigh the risks versus the benefits of consuming alcohol.

However, resveratrol itself is also a phytoestrogen (plant estrogen). The estrogenic properties of this chemical may play a role in the beneficial cardiovascular effects in red wine. These positive effects include increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL), the "good cholesterol." On the other hand, it has been noted that drinking red wine may support the proliferation of certain breast cancer cells that require estrogen for growth. Thus, resveratrol may have undesirable side effects in some people, including those women with a history of breast cancer or postmenopausal women taking hormone replacement therapy.

Interactions

Scientific investigation on the interactions of grape skin or grape skin extract with drugs, foods, or diseases is very limited and inconclusive. However, if the resveratrol in grape skin is consumed in red wine, a wide range of adverse interactions with drugs and foods may result. It is advisable to consult a physician before consuming alcohol in combination with any type of prescription or over-the-counter medication.

PERIODICALS

Broiher, Kitty. "Red Wine's Health Benefits May Be Due in Part to 'Estrogen' in Red Wine." Food Processing (April 1999): 58.

Fine, Anne Marie. "Oligomeric Pranthocyanidin Complexes: History, Structure, and Phytopharmaceutical Applications." Alternative Medicine Review 5 no. 2 (2000): 144–151.

"Grape Compound May Inhibit Cancer." Cancer Weekly Plus (January 1994): 13–15.

Maxwell, Simon, Alison Cruikshank, and Gary Thorpe. "Red Wine and Antioxidant Activity in Serum." The Lancet (July 1994): 193–194.

Tyler, Varro E. "Grape Expectations." Prevention (June 1997): 80–84.

Whitehead, Tom P. et al. "Effect of Red Wine Ingestion on the Antioxidant Capacity of Serum." Clinical Chemistry 41 (Jan. 1995): 32–35.

ORGANIZATIONS

American Heart Association, National Center. 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, TX 75231. http://www.americanheart.org.

National Cancer Institute. Public Inquiries Office, Building 31, Room 10A03, 31 Center Drive, MSC 2580, Bethesda, MD 20892. http://www.nci.nih.gov.

Genevieve Slomski