DATE: Saturday, March 22, 1997              TAG: 9703220603

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY PAT DOOLEY, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   84 lines

GRAPE JUICE LEAVES SHELVES IN BUNCHES STORES CAN'T KEEP UP AFTER STUDY TOUTS HELATH BENEFITS.

There were several gaping holes in the juice aisle at Harris Teeter supermarket on Virginia Beach Boulevard Friday afternoon.

The shelves of the Virginia Beach store were chock full of most bottled juices: orange, grapefruit, cranberry, pineapple.

But, wait, where was the purple grape juice?

Spots normally stocked with Concord juices from Welch's, Seneca and other brands, instead were flagged with small blue signs telling consumers the purple juices were temporarily sold out.

It was the same at nearby Hannaford, Farmer Jack and other grocery stores in South Hampton Roads.

Shoppers snapped up bottles of purple grape juice this week - and a few cans of concentrate, too - apparently in response to a study linking its consumption with reduced risk for heart attack.

At Farmer Jack on Newtown Road in Virginia Beach, consumers bought eight 48-ounce bottles of Welch's purple grape juice last week, said manager Chuck Kelley. This week, they took home 49 bottles. Sales of Welch's 64-ounce bottle rose from 11 to 22.

``My shelf is empty right now,'' Kelley said late Friday afternoon.

The study, announced Tuesday, was led by Dr. John D. Folts of the University of Wisconsin Medical School and was funded in part by Welch's.

It found that 8 or 10 ounces of purple, or Concord, grape juice a day makes blood cells called platelets less likely to form clots that can cause heart attacks.

Folts found that purple grape juice may even be more beneficial than aspirin or small amounts of red wine, which doctors often recommend for patients at risk of heart attack because of their anti-clotting effects.

At Hannaford Drug and Superstore in the Pembroke section of Virginia Beach Friday, Eleanor Mozingo reached for a bottle of tomato juice.

But she'd heard about the grape-juice study and said she'll be buying more of it. Her husband, Robert, had a heart attack about nine months ago and now takes an aspirin a day, on the advice of his doctor.

``Once in a while, we have a little red wine for that reason,'' said Mozingo, of Virginia Beach.

Lawrence Carr was about to buy a bottle of purple grape juice at Harris Teeter on Friday, then realized there wasn't any.

``I would buy it anyway,'' said Carr, whose shopping cart included boxes of whole-grain cereals, fresh fruit - and 15-month-old daughter Gwendolyn. Carr settled instead on a bottle of white grape juice, but said he'll buy more of the purple variety in the future.

Consumers often snatch up products when news of their health benefits make news, said Jeff Sipler, a co-manager at Harris Teeter. Such was the case with red wine, he said.

A customer told Sipler about the juice study on Thursday.

``I'm sure the rush on it came with the release of the study,'' Sipler said.

At its headquarters in Concord, Mass., Welch's has been inundated with calls from consumers, said Jim Callahan, director of corporate communications.

Many want to know if red or white grapes also are beneficial, he said. Folts' study included only purple grapes.

In independent research about two decades ago, Folts also was among the first to show that aspirin is good for the heart because it slows clotting, Callahan said.

About two years ago, Folts' research began to show a link between flavenoids in purple grape juice and reduced risk for heart attack, Callahan said. Flavenoids are natural substances found in plant foods. They also are found in red wine.

Although Welch's helped fund Folts' latest research, the benefits of drinking purple grape juice extend to all brands, Callahan said.

Other studies have shown that all varieties of grape juice contain a potent antioxidant called resveratrol, which aids in the prevention of cancer, he said.

Despite the findings, grapes and their juice are only part of a healthy diet that should include fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, said Linda Barnes, a registered dietitian in Virginia Beach.

``This is just one little piece of the puzzle,'' she said, adding that one healthful food doesn't make up for a diet poor in nutrients.

``People shouldn't just run out and get their Twinkies and drink their grape juice.'' MEMO: The joys of grape juice/Friddell, B1 ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo of grape juice]

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