Muscadine wine polyphenols may improve skin from within

25-Jul-2023 - Last updated on 25-Jul-2023 at 15:06 GMT

Oral consumption of dealcoholized muscadine wine may significantly improve the elasticity and water retention of their skin compared with those who consumed a placebo, says a new study.

Lindsey Christman, PhD, from Ocean Spray and Liwei Gu, PhD, from the University of Florida, performed a six week cross-over intervention trial comparing daily consumption of 300 milliliters (about 10 ounces) of dealcoholized muscadine wine with a placebo beverage.

Muscadine grapes are native to the Southeastern United States and are commonly used to make wine. Previous clinical trials have suggested that polyphenols found in muscadine wine including anthocyanins, quercetin, and ellagic acid can help to decrease inflammation and oxidative stress.

“Muscadine grapes have been found to have a unique polyphenolic profile in comparison to other red wine varieties,” said Lindsey Christman, PhD, a senior scientists at Ocean Spray. Christman presented the data in Boston this week at NUTRITION 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.

“Our study suggests that muscadine wine polyphenols have potential to improve skin conditions, specifically elasticity and transepidermal water loss, in middle aged and older women.”

Study details

Christman and Gu recruited 17 healthy women aged 40-67 to participate in their randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled, cross-over design. Women were randomly assigned to the dealcoholized muscadine wine or placebo for six weeks. This was followed by a three week “washout” period before crossing over to the other group for a further six weeks.

The researchers assessed a range of skin health measures, including transepidermal water loss, elasticity, UVB-induced erythema, and others. They also measuring biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress, such as advanced glycation end products (AGE) glutathione peroxidase activity, and matrix metalloprotease-9 (MMP-9).

The results showed that dealcoholized muscadine wine consumption was associated with significantly improved skin elasticity (a loss of elasticity is what causes skin to sag more as we age). In addition, the wine was associated with a decrease in water loss at the skin surface, a measurement that indicates the skin is providing a more effective barrier against damage.

Improvements in skin smoothness were also reported by Christman and Gu.

Analysis of blood samples showed that the activity of glutathione peroxidase increased after the Muscadine wine consumption, while AGE and MMP-9 levels decreased, compared to baseline (but not compared to placebo).

On the other hand, no significant differences between the groups were reported for the amount of wrinkles on the skin.

“This cross-over study demonstrated that six weeks of dealcoholized muscadine wine consumption resulted in improvement of certain skin parameters associated with aging, such as elasticity on the forearm and barrier function of the skin on the face, when compared to baseline and placebo,” said Christman. “This is likely due to decreases in inflammation and oxidative stress.”

The study was funded by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service and Florida Viticulture Advisory Council

Source: NUTRITION 2023
Topical Area: Aging and Chronic Disease (Poster Session)
Monday, July 24, 202312:45 PM – 1:45 PM ETLocation: Poster Board 18
(P23-018-23) Dealcoholized Muscadine Wine Improved Skin Health, Reduced Oxidative Stress and Inflammation in Women in a Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: L. Christman, et al.