March - Lake Union Conference

HEALTH| CHOICESRed grape juice reducesthe risk of blood clots andlower s blood pressure.Good News fromthe Grapevineb y W i n s t o n J . C r a i gGrape skinsconcentrate thehealthy substances.Grapes grow in clusters on a deciduous, woody vine, Vitis vinifera, with as many as 300 grapes in a cluster.While the original grapes were red, they now come in many colors. Blue, red, purple, black, green andgolden are the most common. The dark grapes contain a rich supply of anthocyanins, the antioxidant polyphenolicsthat possess health-promoting properties. Grapes rank with blueberries and blackberries as excellent sources ofantioxidant activity.Grapes are eaten fresh or dried (raisins). Seedlessgrapes are highly desired for use as table grapes.Grapes are also used for making jam and jelly, andthe juice of the grape is a popular beverage.Grape seeds provide an edible oil. Grapeseed extract appears to strengthencapillary walls, so it is used in thetreatment of venous insufficiencyand edema following surgery. Theextract also reduces the risk ofblood clots.Many of the health benefits attributed to red and purplegrapes are due to the pigments that are concentrated largelyin the skin and seeds. The skin and seeds contain about a100 times higher level than the grape pulp. Anthocyaninstend to be the main polyphenolic in red grapes while catechinsare the most common in white grapes.The pigments in red and purple grapes and grape juiceprotect the cardiovascular system by a number of mechanismsthat include the suppression of blood clots, inhibitionof LDL cholesterol oxidation, and reduced homocysteinelevels. Grapes stimulate endothelial nitric oxideproduction which induces relaxation of the blood vesselwalls, and hence reduces blood pressure levels. Recently, itwas shown that a Concord grape extract lowered LDL cholesterol,raised the good HDL cholesterol, and decreasedplasma inflammatory biomarkers.Resveratrol, a dietary constituentfound in grapes, is an effective agent forprevention of cancer. Resveratrolhas been shown to inhibit prostatecancer cell growth, and induceapoptosis. Anthocyanins and proanthocyanidinsare two groups ofpolyphenolics in Concord grape juicethat show cancer preventive and antiproliferativeproperties and can detoxifythe activity of some cancer-causing substances.Grapes are also rich in ellagic acid, a potent flavonoid thathelps the body fight cancer.Concord grape juice can protect healthy breast cellsfrom DNA damage. Grape juice also suppresses the growthand development of breast cancer cells in laboratory animalsgiven chemically-induced tumors. The grape juicereduced both mammary tumor size and the number of tumorsper animal.Promising data suggests the use of grape juice to promotebrain health and delay neurodegenerative diseases.Participants that drank purple grape juice and similar fruitjuices three times a week were about 70 percent less likelyto develop Alzheimer’s disease. When laboratory animalswere fed Concord grape juice they showed significantly improvedscores on memory and coordination tests.Winston Craig, Ph.D., R.D., is a professor of nutrition at Andrews University.Vi s i t w w w. L a k e Un i o n He r a l d . o r gL a k e U n i o n H e r a l d • Ma r c h 2 0 0 8 |