Health aNd Fitness Guide

Fruit juices have better effect against atherosclerosis (clogged arteries, which can cause heart attack or stroke), than the fruits themselves. To study the effect of juicing on beneficial phenolic compounds (antioxidants) in fruits, researchers in France fed rodents grapes, apples and their juices, or water, along with a high cholesterol diet. They found that purple grape juice had 2.5 times more phenols than apple juice, and apples and grapes had the same amount of phenols. Rodents given purple grape juice had the lowest cholesterol levels, followed by those who were given purple grapes, apple juice, and apples in that order.