You know how nuts I am about resveratrol. This grape phytochemical does wonders for your heart, especially as a cholesterol fighter. Now there is another compound from grapes that actually outperforms resveratrol in cholesterol metabolism!
Agnes Rimando, PhD, who works for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, says that a grape phytochemical called pterostilbene reduces cholesterol as well as ciprofibrate, a drug that lowers cholesterol and triglycerides. That drug, which is not available in the U.S., is in the same class as Lopid and Tricor, which are available in the States.
Both pterostilbene and resveratrol belong to a group of chemicals called phytoalexins. Plants produce these in self-defense to fight off attacking fungal infections and damage caused by ultraviolet light and various chemicals. Both also exhibit strong antifungal activity. But pterostilbene appears to be 60 to 100 times more potent as a fungicide. I expect Big Pharma will extract this natural compound and create a synthetic fungal cure at some point. Hopefully, it will be better than the very nasty synthetic chemicals it produces now.
Pterostilbene has another benefit not found in resveratrol. Several animal studies have shown that the compound can lower blood glucose. So it may be a potent anti-diabetic agent. This may help explain why grapes and blueberries do not increase blood sugar as much as you would expect from such a sweet food.
Additionally, pterostilbene has proven to fight cancer as powerfully as resveratrol. Both have shown similar anti-cancer activity in lab tests, says Dr. Rimando.
Resveratrol and pterostilbene and other similar compounds in structure and activity are also found in blueberries. Dark grapes appear to have the highest content, but interestingly, wine has little. Apparently, when you convert grape juice to wine, the process destroys this compound.
Action to take: This news is so new that the vitamin manufacturers have not had time to make pterostilbene into a supplement yet — at least I've not found it. But that is not all bad news.
I am sure it wont be long before pterostilbene will be available as a supplement and it will likely be just as effective, if not more so, than resveratrol. However, I suspect it will be far more expensive. The fruits that have these compounds have a 5-10:1 ratio of resveratrol to pterostilbene. So it will be much more difficult to extract the pterostilbene than resveratrol and, thus, more expensive.
Grape extracts probably do contain some amount of pterostilbene. But manufacturers do not test for it. So I cant say for sure.
Resveratrol is an outstanding nutritional supplement. And I often recommend Healthy Resolves Advanced Resveratrol Formula. (See the enclosed insert for details.) But that is just what it is, a supplement. Only whole living foods, such as grapes and blueberries, have the total spectrum of phytonutrients we need for optimal health. I strongly encourage you to increase your consumption of organic grapes and blueberries. We do not know yet how many grapes must be eaten for specific benefit, but you can eat as many as you want.
Ref: Compound Identified in Grapes May Fight Cancer and Diabetes, American Chemical Society, May 21, 2002;
American Chemical Society 228th National Meeting, Philadelphia, August 22-26, 2004;
News release, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture; WebMD Medical News: Blueberries May Lower Blood Fat/Cholesterol
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