LOS ANGELES, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ via NewsEdge Corporation -- Today,
Alex Sevanian, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Southern
California-Los Angeles, announced the results of his
ground-breaking study which found that procyanidins from grape seed
extract
have a significant antioxidant effect in preventing cardiovascular disease
(CVD), the number one killer in the developed world.
"We've completed our pre-clinical trials studying the effects of
procyanidins on the cardiovascular system, that focused on low,
normal and high LDL cholesterol diets," said Dr. Sevanian.
"These procyanidins apparently reduce the incidence of aortic lesions
that lead to serious CVD or sudden death for those with dangerously high
cholesterol diets."
Procyanidins are part of a very powerful class of antioxidants called
polyphenols. These particular substances canbe found in dietary sources
like red wine -- as evidenced in the celebrated "Mediterranean Diet."
But the most reliable and effective form of this substance is not found
in any food, it is actually found in grape seed extract.
"Our tests with this powerful antioxidant seem to explain the
'French Paradox' -- wherein people with diets high in
LDL cholesterol have low LDL cholesterol levels in the blood stream and no
signs of CVD," said Sevanian. "Procyanidins hold hope for millions in the
treatment of heart disease."
Sevanian adds that this will potentially lead to the formulation of
medical treatments to stave off and reverse CVD caused by high serum
LDL cholesterol levels.
[Copyright 1998, PR Newswire]