[Moderate wine consumption and prevention of coronary heart disease]. / Moderater Weingenuss und Prävention der koronaren Herzkrankheit.

Moderate alcohol consumption and in particular wine consumption, is associated with a significant reduction in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in epidemiological studies. Although no randomized placebo-controlled studies with wine intervention exist - and will probably never exist - the observed association can be interpreted as causal due to the existing high biological plausibility. There is more and more evidence that ethanol per se contributes to the most relevant preventive effects. When consumed in moderation the health benefits outweigh the health risks. Whether and to what extend the numerous plant compounds of wine (polyphenolic substances) can provide additional health benefits is still under investigation.

Hypothesis: the effect of oral nitrite on blood pressure in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Does dietary nitrate mitigate hypertension after conversion to nitrite?

Increasing doses of nitrite (3.7-14.8 mg/kg BW) were administered via intragastric intubation to 64 spontaneously hypertensive Sprague-Dawley rats. Systemic blood pressure, measured in conscious animals with the tail cuff method, significantly decreased in a dose-related manner 16 and 32 minutes later, and pulse rate slightly increased. Since orally ingested nitrate may be partially converted to nitrite, it seems worthwhile to study correlations between dietary nitrate and blood pressure in experimental animals and man.