The finding, which came as part of a series of studies published in the journal Foods, was included in an extensive list of positive effects that eating the fruit can have on your health. According to researchers, the fruit is particularly beneficial for those living on high-fat Western diets, as it is known to be rich in chemicals that boost healthy gut bacteria and lower cholesterol. Grapes are also rich in antioxidants that are known to improve health and prevent disease and cancer in humans. Antioxidants protect your cells from damage caused by free radicals either inside the body – inflammation, for example – or outside the body, such as pollution, UV radiation or cigarette smoke. Now, the team of researchers has discovered that the antioxidants in grapes can protect the brain from developing dementia by improving the function of neurons, or nerve cells. It follows in the footsteps of several previous studies that have found that inflammation in the brain is linked to various forms of dementia. A second study by researchers at Western New England University revealed that eating grapes can lower your risk of fatty liver disease—a condition caused by excess fat being stored in the liver—and increase your life expectancy by an extra five years. Due to unhealthy eating habits, the condition is a growing health problem worldwide. And although rarely fatal, it can lead to liver failure or liver cancer if left untreated. Grapes also burn calories as they are digested, which in turn helps boost your metabolism, according to the team’s third study. The studies were conducted on mice fed high-fat diets commonly consumed in Western countries, with only half of the mice receiving grape supplements. The team then compared the brain, liver and metabolic health of mice that received grape supplements with those that did not. “It adds a whole new dimension to the old adage ‘you are what you eat,’” said study co-author Dr. John Pezzuto. The Pharmacy professor, who has authored more than 600 scientific studies, said grapes actually change gene expression, which he described as “really remarkable”. It comes amid studies into how people turn their genes on and off to control body development throughout life Exercise, stress, diet, sleep and meditation are thought to affect the expression of our genes. While many take antioxidant supplements, Dr. Pezzuto said it’s not possible to consume “enough” of an antioxidant to make a “big difference” in your health. “But if you change the expression level of antioxidant genes, as we observed with grapes added to the diet, the result is a catalytic response that can make a real difference.” The research was funded in part by the California Table Grape Commission, which provided the grapes used in the experiments.
