Whole-Food Grape Ingredient Supports Post-Meal Metabolic Response

A new study found that a whole-food grape ingredient marketed as WellVine supported a more comprehensive metabolic response to a standardized meal than a seed-based grape extract.

The study, published in Nutrition Research, evaluated how different forms of nutrients from Chardonnay grapes affected metabolism in adults with mild dyslipidemia.

The randomized, controlled, crossover study involved three-week intervention periods where participants either consumed WellVine, a polyphenol-rich Chardonnay seed extract predominant blend, or a placebo. Fasting and post-meal responses were measured.

The marc-predominant blend supported a more favorable post-meal triglyceride response than the seed-predominant blend, even though the extract contained higher levels of isolated polyphenols.

Additionally, the seed-predominant blend lowered blood pressure but also reduced HDL cholesterol.

No significant changes were observed in fasting lipid markers.

“These findings reinforce the importance of the food matrix – nutrients can behave differently when delivered as part of a whole-food system than as isolated compounds,” said Fanny Lee, PhD, RD, lead researcher on the study.

While metabolic health has traditionally been looked at through the lens of fasting biomarkers, people spend most of the day in a fed state. Post-meal responses may offer new insights not previously seen.

“We spend far more of the day in a fed state than a fasted one, and post-meal triglyceride handling is increasingly recognized as an important window into cardiometabolic health,” Lee said. “What stood out was that the marc-predominant blend, essentially the whole food matrix of the grape, produced the more favorable post-meal triglyceride response, even though the seed extract blend carried higher isolated polyphenol levels.”

The marc-predominant blend, unlike the seed-predominant blend, delivers a naturally occurring combination of soluble and insoluble fiber, polyphenols, and prebiotic structures, possibly supporting “more integrated metabolic responses,” the company reported.