Grapes have remarkable health benefits
New studies confirm the remarkable health benefits of grapes. The fruits protect against cancer and heart disease.
In a series of studies led by Western New England University, scientists have found that eating grapes has a remarkable influence on health and life expectancy.
According to the experts, adding just under two cups of grapes per day to a high-fat diet can bring astonishing health benefits by reducing fatty liver, increasing the levels of antioxidant genes, and significantly extending life expectancy.
The first study, published in the journal Foods, focused on the potential of grape consumption to mitigate the negative effects caused by a high-fat diet. The analysis found that consuming grape powder alongside a high-fat diet led to significant modulation of hepatic gene expression, successfully prevented oxidative damage, improved non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and increased life expectancy.
In a second study, published in the journal Antioxidants, researchers found that grape consumption altered gene expression in the brain and had positive effects on behavioural and cognitive structures that had been impaired by a high-fat diet.
A third study, published in the journal Food & Function, demonstrated that grape consumption not only alters gene expression but can also boost metabolism by reprogramming the activity of the gut microbiota. This reduces hepatic oxidative stress caused by a high-fat diet and increases the efficiency with which the liver utilises glucose for energy production.
«We all know the saying ‚You are what you eat‘, which is of course true, since we all begin as a foetus and consume food as an adult.«, said John Pezzuto, Professor of Pharmacy and Health Sciences at Western New England University and lead author of the studies. «But these studies add an entirely new dimension to this old saying. Food is not only converted into our body parts, but as our work with grapes shows, it also changes our genetic expression. That is truly remarkable.»
«Many people think about taking dietary supplements that boast high antioxidant activity. In reality, however, you cannot consume enough antioxidants to make a significant difference. But when you alter the gene expression of antioxidants, as we have observed with grapes in the diet, the result is a catalytic reaction that can make a real difference«, he concluded.
