Evaluation of Phenolic Compounds in Commercial Fruit Juices and Fruit Drinks.
(Please note: the following is an excerpt from the Mullen et al. J Ag Food Chem 2007 manuscript. Please click on the 'Download PDF' link a the bottom of the screen for the full article.)
There is epidemiological evidence linking a diet rich in fruits and vegetables with reduced incidences of coronary heart disease, cancer, and various chronic diseases (1). Historically,several fruits, vegetables, and beverages have had specific health claims associated with their consumption. Centuries ago it was established that sailors could prevent the onset of scurvy by eating vitamin C-rich citrus fruit. More recently, cranberries have been recommended for the treatment of urinary tract infection, an effect arguably attributed to proanthocyanidins (2). TheZutphen Elderly Study linked the consumption of flavonol-rich apples, onions, and tea to a decreased incidence of the risk of stroke and heart disease (3). Moderate consumption of red wineis widely believed to reduce the incidence of heart disease, an effect known as the French paradox (4). Although a large number of epidemiological studies indicate that moderate consumption of alcoholic beverages is associated with reduced mortality and heart disease, other studies report that red wine can offer greater protection than white wine, beers, or spirits(5, 6). Red wine contains high concentrations of a large numberof phenolic compounds that originate from the grapes and also, in some instances, from oak when the wines are matured in wood barrels (7).
(1) Margetts, B.; Buttriss, J. Epidemiology linking consumption of plant foods and their constituents with health. In Plants: Diet and Health; Goldberg, G., Ed.; Blackwell Publishing: Oxford, U.K., 2003; pp 49-64.
(2) Howell, A. B.; Vorsa, N.; Marderosian, A. D.; Foo, L. Y. Inhibition of the adherence of P-fimbriated Escherichia coli to uroepithelial-cell surfaces by proanthocyanidin extracts from cranberries. New Engl. J. Med. 1998, 339, 1085-1086.
(3) Hertog, M. G. L.; Feskens, E. J. M.; Hollman, P. C. H.; Katan, M. B.; Kromhout, D. Dietary antioxidant flavonoids and risk of coronary heart-diseasesthe Zutphen elderly study. Lancet 1993,342, 1007-1011.
(4) Renaud, S.; Delorgeril, M. Wine, alcohol, platelets, and the French paradox for coronary heart-disease. Lancet 1992, 339,1523-1526.
(5) Rimm, E. B.; Klatsky, A.; Grobbee, D.; Stampfer, M. J. Review of moderate alcohol consumption and reduced risk of coronary heart disease: is the effect due to beer, wine, or spirits? Br. Med.J. 1996, 312, 731-736.
(6) St Leger, A. S.; Cochrane, A. L.; Moore, F. Factors associated with cardiac mortality in developed-countries with particular reference to the consumption of wine. Lancet 1979, 1, 1017-1020.
(7) Burns, J.; Gardner, P. T.; O’Neil, J.; Crawford, S.; Morecroft, I.; McPhail, D. B.; Lister, C.; Matthews, D.; MacLean, M. R.; Lean, M. E. J.; Duthie, G. G.; Crozier, A. Relationship among antioxidant activity, vasodilation capacity, and phenolic content of red wines. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2000, 48, 220-230.
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