Across 4 studies, 3 reported beneficial effects of red grape or its extracts on reducing aspartate aminotransferase (AST) levels, with one neutral finding. The predominant effect size was small, though one moderate effect was observed. Effects were seen in clinical populations, primarily individuals with NAFLD or thalassemia, over a median duration of 44 days (approximately 6 weeks).
Caveats: Evidence base is small (only 4 studies) — conclusions should be considered preliminary. The neutral study evaluated quercetin and curcumin (not specifically red grape extract), which may limit comparability. Doses varied widely (100–520 mg/day), and duration was only reported in two studies (28–60 days). Sample sizes in the RCTs were small (n=30 and n=25).
The study aimed to investigate the iron-chelating, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and hepatoprotective activities of grape seed extract (GSE) supplement as well as its safety in β-thalassemia major (β-TM) pediatric patients receiving deferasirox as a standard iron-chelation therapy.
from: Grape seed extract in combination with deferasirox ameliorates iron overload, oxidative stFlavonoids intervention significantly decreased aspartate aminotransferase (AST)
GSE supplement significantly attenuated the serum levels of ... AST (p = 0.000)
insulin, HOMA-IR, TC, TG, LDL-c, ALT, AST, AST/ALT, SBP, DBP and MAP decreased and QUICKi and HDL-c increased significantly (p-value for all < 0.05)
In contrast, quercetin and curcumin supplementation did not show a statistically significant difference compared to control groups in these outcomes.