Studies suggest grape juice can provide heart benefits
Q: I was born in 1945 and was diagnosed as a baby with what at that time was called a heart murmur. I have had a racing heartbeat from time to time that lasts less than a minute. Sometimes my heart thumps hard once.
I have lived with this all my life. I am active and always have been. I have never fainted, had shortness of breath nor felt chest pain. It is just part of my life. My father died after having had five heart attacks in his 70s and my grandmother on my maternal side had a pacemaker and lived to be 89.
I read that grape juice helps make your blood less sticky, so for three years I have been drinking two 8-ounce glasses of grape juice every day. Recently, I realized that I have less of these heart rate symptoms. As a bonus, the varicose vein in my left leg is less pronounced than it has been for years.
I take no prescription drugs, but I do take vitamins daily and try to eat right. Am I imagining the benefits of grape juice? A: There is evidence that “whole grape products” can lower blood pressure (Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, October 2023). A study published in the journal Circulation (Sept. 7, 1999) reported that when volunteers drank purple grape juice for two weeks, their blood vessels were more flexible and blood flow improved.
We do not think you are imagining the benefits of grape juice. An in-depth analysis in the journal Nutrients (December 2015) concluded
that Concord grape juice provides cardiovascular benefits and may also be helpful against cancer and cognitive decline (Nutrients, December 2015). The natural sugar content may pose a problem for people with diabetes, however.
Q: Please don’t laugh at my question. My pubic hair has gone gray and is noticeably thinner. I’ve colored it a couple of times with hair dye from the drugstore. That way it doesn’t look quite so thin. Is this safe? A:
Although there are now companies that make hair color specifically for pubic hair, we would advise caution. Some colors and other ingredients can be irritating to delicate skin.
Dermatologists often recommend performing a patch test before applying an unfamiliar skin product. Do this by dabbing a small amount of the dye on your inner arm or thigh and covering the area with a bandage. After two days, check for redness or irritation.
Q: Mom always gave us cod liver oil in the winter,
especially for colds. It tasted awful, but it kept colds down. As an adult, I stopped taking it until recently. I started getting a cold nearly every month. It occurred to me to take cod liver oil capsules. I take them as needed, and they work along with my vitamins C and D. Together, they strengthened my immune system, and the colds stopped. A:
Many readers agree that cod liver oil can help prevent colds. One person wrote: “I believe that cod liver oil has been effective in fighting off colds. Our harvest season can drag on for two months in wet, cold weather with 16-hour days.
“I would always catch a bad cold every season until I started taking cod liver oil every day at least 10 years ago. Now I very rarely catch a cold.”
Cod liver oil provides vitamin D and other nutrients.