WAUKESHA – John Folts, who researches coronary thrombosis (blood clotting) and its prevention in his lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Medicine, will speak at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha on Wednesday, April 12, at noon in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Dr. Folts will describe “The Benefits of Flavonoids in Alcoholic Beverages.”
Sponsored by the Lectures & Fine Arts Committee as part of its Visions & Expressions series, the presentation is open to the public at no charge.
According to Folts, heart disease is the Number One cause of death in the Western world, killing more people than all the different forms of cancer. The chief culprit, a disease called artherosclerosis, makes arteries start to narrow. When a blood clot forms in the narrowed passageway and cuts off flow to the heart or brain, the results can be fatal. Flavonoids, found in red wine, dark beer, fruits and vegetables, help keep arteries healthy and less susceptible to artherosclerosis or promoting clots.
Before he began studying artherosclerosis as a cause of heart disease, he approached the problem by looking at the clotting mechanism of blood. While still a student, Folts demonstrated that aspirin could slow clotting from overactive platelets and reduce the chances of a heart attack. It does not change the viscosity of blood, he notes, it just makes it less likely to form clots.
Age, smoking, elevated LDL (bad) cholesterol, and high blood pressure conspire to damage arteries. When LDL is oxidized, it becomes much more harmful to the arteries. Thus, we are advised to consume anti-oxidants. Flavonoids do an even better job of ridding the blood stream of free radicals than the commonly honored vitamins of C, E, and beta-carotene. They protect the endothelial cells that line the inside of arteries and keep them flexible and able to dilate when needed.
Flavonoids are micronutrients contained in fruits and vegetables, with the greatest amount coming from the most deeply colored ones, such as dark grapes, blueberries, and cranberries, but also in black or green tea, nuts and seeds. Called “phytochemicals,” flavonoids are organic molecules created by plants and are not available in animal or dairy products. Vegetarians, who consume larger quantities of fruits and vegetables than most carnivores, observably enjoy the health benefits.
All flavonoids are not the same, however. Folts and his colleagues have been studying them for more than 15 years. Certain ones have extraordinary anti-oxidant properties. Flavonoids in red wine and purple grape juice can reduce clotting, protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation, and improve the ability of arteries to increase their diameter to carry more blood. They may even reverse some of the ill effects of smoking, he has found.
Folts has spent his intellectual career at UW-Madison, earning a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering, master’s in medical physiology, and Ph.D. in cardiovascular physiology and pathology there. A professor of medicine and nutritional science in the UW Medical School, Cardiovascular Medicine Section, he heads the Coronary Thrombosis Research and Prevention and Vascular Biology Laboratory at UW-Madison.
He has published more than 125 scientific papers and chapters in books, is on the editorial board of The Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and The Journal of Thrombosis and Thrombolysis, and holds nine US patents with two more pending. Folts is considered a leader in flavonoid research.
UW-Waukesha has the largest enrollment among the 13 freshman-sophomore University of Wisconsin Colleges campuses. For information about programs, admission, or financial aid, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5200 or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu.
|
