Writing in the journal Nutrition Research, scientists from the University of California, Davis, Sonomaceuticals and the U.S. Department of Agriculture studied the effects of marc supplementation on participants with abnormal levels of lipids in the blood associated with “bad” cholesterol.
“Our previous research was focused on characterizing the molecular composition and conducting in vivo trials evaluating the impact on lipid metabolism,” said Fanny Lee, PhD, lead study author. “This was one of our first pilot studies to translate what we saw in vivo to humans. We are encouraged that the high marc blend resulted in lower postprandial triglycerides and while fasting plasma triglycerides did not reach a statistical significance, appeared to be trending lower comparatively.”
The study was funded by Sonomaceuticals and a research grant provided by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Small Business Innovation.
Mitigating disease risk factors
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) impacts the cardiovascular system and may result in a cardiovascular event. Characteristics of ASCVD include the hardening and thickening of blood vessels because fat, cholesterol and other material accumulate in arterial walls.
“The endothelial layer of blood vessels has a critical role in vascular tone thus has a large impact on blood pressure through vasoconstriction and vasodilation,” the researchers explained. “An imbalance of vasoconstriction and vasodilation is one feature of endothelial dysfunction. Endothelial dysfunction is one of the earliest indications of ASCVD.”
Disease risk factors include being overweight or obese, high concentrations of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high triglycerides (TG), elevated blood pressure, low concentrations of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), insulin resistance and physical inactivity.
There has been growing interest in the phenolic compounds of red wine, including resveratrol, and their link to cardiovascular protection. White wines and their grapes have received less attention.
“When wine grapes are processed, the juice is used for winemaking and the marc (also called pomace, primarily the remaining skins and seeds) is treated as agricultural waste,” the researchers noted. “In red winemaking, the marc is macerated before it is discarded, and in white winemaking the marc is discarded immediately after the juice is pressed. White wine grape marc retains both its extractable and nonextractable nutrients. With red wine grape marc, much of its extractable nutrients are lost to the wine itself.”
In California, Chardonnay is the most produced variety of wine grapes. The agricultural waste from it can be recaptured to exploit the nutrient-rich material that has numerous health benefits.
Previous research suggests that Chardonnay seed flour (ChSF) supplementation may improve ASCVD risk factors, but only one human trial has demonstrated improvements in peripheral endothelial function and not in other disease indicators.
The researchers’ aim was to modify ASCVD risk factors, particularly plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, by supplementing participants with a Chardonnay marc- rich blend and a Chardonnay seed extract rich blend.
Study details
The 16-week double-blinded, randomized control crossover study included 24 male and female participants with mild dyslipidemia who consumed capsules (1500 mg) of either high Chardonnay grape seed extract blend (HE), high Chardonnay marc blend (HM), or a placebo. The Chardonnay marc was provided by WellVine. The participants consumed the capsules for 21 days and had their blood pressure and blood samples analyzed. Participants were tested in fasting and postprandial states.
The study showed the potential of the high marc supplementation to affect several ASCVD risk factors.
“I was pleasantly surprised to see that actually consuming the high Chardonnay marc blend resulted in decreased postprandial triglyceride response,” Lee said. “It reinforces the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts—that is, the high Chardonnay marc blend is predominantly the whole food matrix of the Chardonnay grape while the high Chardonnay seed extract blend is primarily the extracted seed components.”
She added that people spend more time in a non-fast, postprandial state than in a fasted state and it is more representative and is increasingly recognized as a better predictor of cardiovascular disease and cardiac events.
“This is why when you go to the doctor’s office to check your cholesterol, they don’t want you to fast before the blood draw,” Lee said. “It takes our bodies a few hours to clear and metabolize triglycerides out of the bloodstream. If the body has a hard time clearing triglycerides, it can increase the risk of higher concentrations of LDL which could then increase the risk for atherosclerosis, it can also interfere with insulin signaling and other metabolic pathways.”
The ability of the high Chardonnay marc blend to blunt the postprandial triglyceride response is a significant finding, Lee noted, especially as it departs from the traditional research focus on extracts.
“The results suggest that the synergy of Chardonnay’s complete nutrient profile offers a potential strategy for cardiovascular health.”
Source: Nutrition Research. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2026.02.009. “Chardonnay grape marc/grape seed extract blends improve postprandial triglycerides and/or HDL cholesterol concentrations in adults with mild dyslipidemia in a randomized double blinded crossover trial.” Authors: Fanny Lee et al.
