Fresh California Grapes and Health
In 1928, Dr. Johanna Brandt, a South African naturopath, published a book called ’The Grape Cure.’ Brandt claimed to have had a divine illumination that made her realize that grapes could cure almost every disease, including cancer.
Dr. Brandt was not, by any means, the first person to suspect that there was something special about fresh grapes. Many people believed in the healing power of grapes long before science had any proof of these claims. In ancient China, wine was mixed with snakes, frogs, and other creatures to cure specific ailments. And even stranger, there are stories of near-death interventions by the use of grape juice.
The health benefits of products from the vine were once known the world over. "Only where there is no wine are drugs required," reads an excerpt from the Talmud. "Drink a glass of wine after your soup and you steal a ruble from your doctor," is an old Russian proverb. Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, the corn flake king, was a great believer in grapes as a cure. In 1870, at his famous clinic in Battlecreek, Michigan, he would prescribe 10 to 14 pounds of grapes per day - and nothing else - to cure patients of high blood pressure. For the weak of heart, it was grapes, grapes and grapes; for skinny patients, it was 26 feedings per day and their stomach weighted with sandbags to increase the absorption of nutrients.
Today, hundreds of studies have been conducted as researchers explore the secrets behind grapes and health.
Grapes are rich in plant compounds known as phytonutrients. Phytonutrients are biologically active substances within plants that are responsible for giving plants their odor, color and flavor as well as helping to protect the plant against stresses such as bacteria, excessive sunlight and pests. Recent research indicates that phytonutrients in plants may fight disease and enhance health in humans.
Fresh grapes contain about 82% water, 12-18% sugar, and 0.2-0.8% acid, mainly tartaric and malic acid. Grapes also contain numerous phenolic compounds, including simple phenols, simple phenolic acids, cinnamic acids, stilbenes, flavonoids, flavans, flavonols, and anthocyanins.
Grapes are high in flavonoids and are particularly good sources of flavans. For example, the major phenolic compound in grapes is catechin, and they contain epicatechin, gallocatechin, and epigallocatechin. Grapes also contain high concentrations of leucoanthocyanidin flavans of varied structure. Grapes are good sources of flavonols, primarily quercetin. Grapes also contain the carotenoid lycopene, widely recognized for its disease-fighting capabilities.
Preliminary studies have linked fresh grapes and grape phytonutrients to reduced risk of cancer, heart disease and a host of other illnesses.
Grapes and Cancer Prevention
A number of studies have shown a link between grape constituents and cancer prevention including the ability of grape compounds to inhibit the growth of cancer cells through a wide variety of mechanisms. Specific cancer types include breast, colon, stomach and leukemia.
One observational study found that increased consumption of grapes was associated with reduced risk of oral cancer.
Grape Phytonutrients and Heart Health
Grape phytochemicals are believed to interfere with the development of atherosclerosis in several ways:
- The grape antioxidants have been shown to reduce the susceptibility of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) to oxidation. Oxidized LDL is believed to play a critical role in the early stages of the atherosclerotic process.
- Grape polyphenols decrease platelet aggregation and formation of arterial lesions by stimulating the release of Nitric Oxide (NO).
- Protective substances in grapes have also been shown to cause arterial relaxation and other favorable metabolic effects.
Flavonoids, such as those present in grapes – including quercetin, catechin and anthocyanin – are being shown to play a role in preventing heart disease and cancer.
- A number of studies have shown that the flavonoids in grape juice exhibit anti-clotting effects similar to aspirin.
- A study found that table grapes from California protected the heart and blood vessels against oxidative tissue damage, similar to the well-known effects of red wine.
- Grape juice has been shown to reduce the susceptibility of LDL cholesterol to oxidation.