Effects of Grape Seed Extract Supplementation on Endothelial Function and Endurance Performance in Basketball Players.

While dietary polyphenols supplements can improve endothelial function and blood flow to exercise, the effects of chronic supplementation with grape seed extract (GSE) containing a high dose of polyphenols on endurance performance are not known. Accordingly, in 12 elite athletes, we compared the effects of both GSE and placebo (PL) on submaximal VO2, time to exhaustion performance, and endothelial function during progressive cycling exercise for 14 days. Endothelial function was evaluated from the brachial artery via flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Compared to PL, GSE decreased submaximal VO2 at 80% and 120% of VO2peak and increased the time to exhaustion (p < 0.05). GSE also resulted in FMD-induced increase in brachial artery diameter (14.4 ± 5.2% vs. 17.6 ± 4.5%, p = 0.035). We demonstrated that chronic supplementation with GSE improved endurance performance and these effects may partially be due to vasodilation in active skeletal muscle mediated by enhanced endothelial function. Thus, our results suggest that GSE appears to be an ergogenic nutraceutical that can improve exercise performance in elite athletes.

Predictive Factors on the Incidence of Heart Failure in Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease: Using a 10-Year Population-Based Korea National Health Insurance Cohort Data.

Early risk stratification and preventative strategies are required in patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) to prevent heart failure (HF). We aimed to investigate the rate of progression to HF and to investigate the factors predicting the development of HF in a population with IHD for 10 years. A descriptive study was conducted using Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHI-NSC) data (2005-2015). Among the patients diagnosed with IHD for the first time in 2005-2006, 2271 men and 2037 women who responded to the health check-up survey were finally selected. Cox Proportional Hazard regression analyses and the Kaplan-Meier survival analysis were used. HF incidence rates were 5.1% in men and 8.0% in women. The mean duration of transition to HF was 4.85 ± 2.73 years in men and 4.73 ± 2.73 years in women. The non-incidence rate of HF was higher in men than in women (Log-rank test, p = 0.0003). Bivariate analyses showed that older age, prevalence of hypertension and diabetes, less alcohol, and lower physical exercise were associated with the incidence of HF in both men and women. Multivariate analyses found that HF incidence in aged subjects ≥70 years was 1.46 times higher in men and 1.44 times higher in women compared to those in their 30 s (p < 0.001). Prevalence of hypertension reduced the incidence of HF by 0.78 and 0.87 for men and women, respectively. The prevalence of diabetes increased 1.23 times only in men. These findings suggest that special attention such as periodic counseling and education is needed to prevent progression to HF in elderly and diabetic patients during follow-up after IHD.

Grape Seed Extract Supplementation Attenuates the Blood Pressure Response to Exercise in Prehypertensive Men.

We tested the hypothesis that exaggerated pressor responses observed in prehypertensive males (N = 9) during dynamic exercise are attenuated following acute dietary supplementation with grape seed extract (GSE) (i.e., a single dose). Effects of placebo and GSE (300 mg) on systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output (CO), stroke volume (SV), total vascular conductance (TVC), and rate × pressure product (RPP) in response to two submaximal cycling workloads (40% and 60% VO2peak) were compared 2 h after ingestion of GSE or placebo on different days, 1 week apart. Endothelial function was also evaluated using flow-mediated dilation (FMD). Placebo treatment had no effect on any of the variables. GSE supplementation attenuated MAP at both workloads (40% VO2peak: 115 ± 1 vs. 112 ± 2 mmHg; 60% VO2peak: 126 ± 2 vs. 123 ± 2 mmHg) and RPP at the lower workload. Conversely, SV, CO, and TVC were augmented during both workloads. FMD was augmented by GSE (18.9 ± 2.0 vs. 12.4% ± 2.0%). These findings indicate that in exercising prehypertensive males, a single dose of GSE reduces blood pressure, peripheral vasoconstriction, and work of the heart and enhances O2 delivery; effects that may be due, in part, to endothelium-dependent vasodilation. We propose that acute GSE treatment represents an intervention that may minimize potential increases in the risk of cardiovascular events during dynamic exercise in prehypertensives.