Everyone knows about grapes and the health benefits afforded from drinking a glass of wine. Even before the advent of modern medicine, the ancient Egyptians recognized the nutritional value of the grapes, using the sap from the grapevine as an ointment to treat skin and eye conditions. The fruit also was made into a wine and used to treat conditions such as nausea, constipation, cholera, smallpox, liver disease, and cancers.

The modern world was made aware of the nutritional value of grapes (more specifically wine) when data collected by the WHO revealed that those in France were less susceptible to cardiovascular mortality despite higher consumption of saturated fat. Originally thought to be associated to the ethanol content of wine, we now know that the real power behind wine is due to the composition of grapes!

Polyphenols – Powerful Antioxidants

Grapes contain polyphenol compounds, including flavonoids, phenolic acids, and resveratrol. Polyphenols act as antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, and are antiallergenic. Antioxidants have the captivity to scavenge reactive oxygen species (free radicals). Free radicals are missing an electron, making them highly unstable and highly reactive within the body. All molecules want to replace any missing electrons, and free radicals in the body do this by ‘scavenging’ it from any nearby cell it can find. This can mean damage to DNA, to enzymes, to proteins in neighboring cells, or even cell membranes. Although our bodies produce their own free radicals, the antioxidants found in foods are important in helping us to keep our free radical numbers in check.

Anti-Carcinogenic

Another of the nutritional values of grapes is its anti-carcinogenic properties. Studies have shown that grape juice has been effective in fighting breast cancer. This is due to the polyphenols in grapes, anthocyanin and proanthocyanidin, that have been demonstrated to have cancer preventative and anti-proliferative properties. These polyphenols are found in abundance in the skin of the grape, giving it it’s defining purple color. In vitro, the introduction of concord grape juice was able to block the reaction of benz(a)pyrene, an environmental carcinogen which can initiate a chain of events leading to the development of breast cancer.

Cardiovascular Health

One hypothesis on the cause of atherosclerosis states that oxidative modification of low density lipoprotein (LDL) is the primary initiator of the disease. Now, normal LDL cholesterol in the body is relatively harmless, but if LDL is oxidized within the artery wall complications can occur. In the key initial step of atherosclerosis, oxidized LDL is taken up by macrophages (a white blood cell) to form foam cells (cells that start the formation of plaque in blood vessels). Oxidized LDL also induces a pro-inflammatory state, which stimulates platelet activation.

Studies have shown that consumption of grape juice can cause marked improvement in the resistance of LDL cholesterol to oxidation. Drinking grape juice has also been shown to reduce the platelet aggregation caused by second hand smoke. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 46,000 deaths from heart disease are attributed to secondhand smoke.