UNRIPE GRAPE JUICE (VERJUICE) AS A LIPIDLOWERING AGENT: FACT OR FICTION

Background and Objective – It is generally believed in our community that unripe grape juice (verjuice) has a lipid-lowering effect. There is no published data on the lipidlowering effect of verjuice, so this study sought to test this hypothesis. Methods – In a prospective crossover study, 97 persons with primary hyperlipidemia were enrolled. Group A (n = 47) received 80 mL verjuice daily at lunchtime for the first two months of the study and group B (n = 50) received the same amount for the last two months of the study. The total duration of the study was four months. The serum lipid profiles were measured at the beginning and two and four months after starting the trial. Results were analyzed by paired-samples t-test. Results – The mean ± standard deviation levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, lowdensity (LDL) and high-density (HDL) lipoprotein cholesterol were measured. The p value for all pairs was more than 0.05, indicating that verjuice has no lipid-lowering effect. Conclusion – Our study revealed that unripe grape juice has no lipid-lowering effect, but its antioxidant effect on LDL cholesterol should be studied.