Vinia Review: The Best Cardiovascular Supplement?

Vinia Review: The Best Cardiovascular Supplement?


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Vinia is a dietary supplement manufactured by a company called Bioharvest. It's derived from red grapes and used to support cardiovascular health. The brand describes Vinia as a “Science-Backed Red Grape Superfood” based on 15 years of research and development and $60 million invested.

But is Vinia actually proven in clinical studies to improve cardiovascular health and blood pressure levels? Is the novel form of resveratrol in this supplement superior to traditional resveratrol? Does Vinia contain any questionable additive ingredients? And how do real users rate and describe its effects?

In this article we’ll answer all of these questions and more, as we review clinical trials on Vinia to give our take on whether or not the supplement is likely to be effective, and whether or not it's healthy.

We'll compare the type of resveratrol used in Vinia to traditional resveratrol, feature unsponsored customer reviews, and discuss the risk of side effects.

Is Vinia Proven to Work?

Vinia clinical trial results

Vinia has been studied in several clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals, which is the gold standard of product research.

One such trial, published in the International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, found that Vinia improved arterial dilation, which is a measure of cardiovascular health.

Interestingly, red grape powder did not improve blood pressure at the 400 milligram (mg) dose in Vinia, but at a lower 200 mg dose (as shown in the graph above).

Another clinical trial in animals published in the same journal found that Vinia’s red grape powder may have cardiovascular benefits, but the dosage used does not appear to be the same dose as in Vinia.

The animal trials used a dose of 400 milligrams per kilogram (mg/kg), while Vinia has 400 mg total.

The beneficial effects on cholesterol oxidation documented in this study come from an in vitro (test tube) study, which is a weaker standard of evidence than trials with human participants.

These are the two clinical trials linked to on the Clinical Trials page on Vinia’s website.

We consider Vinia somewhat likely to improve cardiovascular health due to its proven effects on arterial dilation at the dose used in the supplement.

We do not find the effects on cholesterol or blood pressure to be as convincing, because we can't identify any evidence that Vinia at the dose currently being sold is effective in human trial participants for these outcomes.

Below is a YouTube video published by Vinia’s manufacturer documenting how the supplement is proposed to work in the body:

Vinia vs. Standard Resveratrol

Much of Vinia’s marketing claims center on the fact that it includes a type of resveratrol called piceid resveratrol which is supposedly more soluble and effective than regular resveratrol.

While we have no reason to doubt Vinia’s claims about the solubility of their resveratrol type, we don’t believe there is enough evidence to suggest that Vinia is more effective than standard resveratrol.

None of the clinical trials that Vinia funded compared their supplement to resveratrol, so while Vinia may theoretically be superior, we have no reason to believe so at this stage.

Regular resveratrol has also been shown to be effective for cardiovascular health in clinical trials.

A 2022 meta-study analyzed data on resveratrol supplementation and cholesterol levels. The researchers found that resveratrol significantly decreased total cholesterol levels, triglyceride levels and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels.

Another medical review found that resveratrol supplementation can have positive effects on certain cardiovascular diseases.

A 2013 test tube study found that piceid resveratrol was actually less bioavailable than regular resveratrol, and was “more difficult in being uptaken by cells.” This implies a higher dose of piceid may be needed to get the same benefit as regular resveratrol.

Based on the available research, we do not believe there is enough evidence to suggest that Vinia is superior to regular resveratrol for cardiovascular health.

Real People Try Vinia

One of the most popular reviews of Vinia comes from a YouTube creator named Brennan Jones, whose grandmother used the supplement for four months and documented changes to her blood pressure and cholesterol levels:

A man named David shared his experience taking Vinia for three months.

This testimonial is published by the brand's YouTube channel so consumers should be a bit cautious about potential bias:

Does Vinia Cause Side Effects?

No serious side effects were noted in either of the clinical trials on Vinia.

One patient reported heartburn but it was not attributed to the supplement. Heartburn can also be caused by foods.

We don’t believe that Vinia is likely to cause side effects in otherwise healthy individuals, because resveratrol is a well-studied compound and the supplement is free of any harmful additive ingredients like artificial sweeteners.

That being said, the clinical trials only lasted a maximum of 12 weeks in duration. We would recommend that consumers planning to take this supplement for extended periods of time speak with a doctor first.

At the time of updating this article, there is no mention of side effects on Vinia's website.

Our Cardiovascular Health Picks

There are nutritional compounds which have been shown in clinical studies to support optimal cardiovascular health.

Performance Lab Magnesium is our top magnesium pick.

Magnesium supplementation "improves myocardial metabolism, inhibits calcium accumulation and myocardial cell death" according to a 2010 medical review.

Omega-3 Potency+ by mindbodygreen is our top fish oil supplement.

A 2022 medical review concluded "fish oil supplementation may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, and, in specific, it may have potential benefits in improving the prognosis of patients with hypertension, coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias, or heart failure

Bulletproof CoQ10 is our top Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) supplement.

CoQ10 was shown in a meta-study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension to "to lower systolic blood pressure by up to 17 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure by up to 10 mm Hg without significant side effects."

All three of the products mentioned in this section are entirely free of additive ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy or unsafe.

Vinia Pros and Cons

Here are the pros and cons of Vinia in our opinion:

Pros:

  • Clinically shown to support cardiovascular health
  • No unhealthy ingredients
  • May reduce blood pressure in hypertensives
  • May reduce cholesterol levels in individuals with high cholesterol
  • Unlikely to cause side effects

Cons:

  • Unclear if superior to traditional resveratrol
  • Challenging to find unsponsored customer reviews
Stay up-to-date on our research reviews

Conclusion

Vinia is likely to improve cardiovascular health, as the brand has funded clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals showing that their supplement increases arterial elasticity.

We don’t currently recommend the supplement as we can’t find any evidence that Vinia, or the specific type of resveratrol used, is more effective than traditional resveratrol which can be cheaper.

However, we have no issues with consumers taking this supplement and do not consider it likely to be harmful or cause side effects.

For consumers who plan to use this supplement on a monthly or annual basis, we would recommend checking with a doctor first as the longest clinical trial funded by Vinia was 12 weeks.

We hope that in the future the brand funds a clinical trial comparing its effects to regular resveratrol. If it outperforms, we will consider recommending this product.

It's somewhat challenging to find unsponsored customer reviews of Vinia, but overall we consider this to be an above-average cardiovascular health supplement given the amount of R&D its manufacturer has invested in.