Benefits of Grapes

The substances in the grapes called flavonoids have been proven capable of keeping your arteries free of disease-causing plaque. Now, a new study says the lip-staining liquid also has the ability to increase the antioxidants in your body while decreasing the level of free radicals. Antioxidants are vitamins like C, E and A that trap free radicals, which are potentially destructive molecules.

The flavonoids, which give grapes their color, also reduce production of the free radicals, increase production of nitric oxide, which inhibits clot formation, reduce the size of clots and inhibit platelet activity.

Key benefits of grapes:

• Both red and black grapes contain powerful antioxidants and resveratrol, which helps to prevent both the narrowing and hardening of the arteries.
• Ellagic acid, which has anti-cancer properties, is also contained in grapes.
• Grapes have many health benefits, but have a high sugar content and should therefore be eaten in moderation.
• Grapes are a good source of potassium.

Grape polyphenols lower key factors for coronary heart disease in women

More evidence shows grapes and grape juice, not just red wine, offer considerable cardiovascular benefits. Consuming a drink made from adding just 36 g (1.26 ounces) of a powder made from freeze-dried grapes to a glass of water daily for 4 weeks resulted in a wide variety of cardioprotective effects in 24 pre- and 20 postmenopausal women, shows a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.

• Blood levels of LDL cholesterol and apolipoproteins B and E dropped significantly. (These apolipoproteins are involved in the binding of LDL and VLDL cholesterol to blood vessel walls, one of the beginning steps in the development of atherosclerosis.)
• Triglycerides dropped 15 and 6% in pre- and postmenopausal women, respectively.
• Cholesterol ester transfer protein activity dropped 15%. (Inhibition of this protein has been shown to increase levels of HDL while decreasing LDL levels.)
• Levels of urinary F(2)-isoprostanes (a marker of free radical damage in the body) dropped significantly as did blood levels of TNF-alpha (tumor necrosis factor-alpha, which plays a major role in the inflammation process).

The rich mixture of phytonutrients found in grapes-which includes flavans, anthocyanins, quercetin, myricetin, kaempferol, as well as resveratrol-is thought to be responsible for these numerous protective effects on cholesterol metabolism, oxidative stress (free radical activity) and inflammation.