- Recently published studies suggest that grape consumption may have a positive impact on health and life expectancy.
- Adding more grapes to a high-fat Western diet may lower the risk of fatty liver disease and increase longevity.
- Despite the positive results, experts say that grape consumption is not a cure-all for poor eating habits. and it does not offset the overall effects of consuming a high-fat Western diet over the long term.
- Most experts recommend a healthy, balanced diet consisting of nutrient-rich whole foods for optimal health and wellness.
There is a growing body of evidence supporting the positive effects of consuming a diet derived from whole food sources, including fruits, vegetables, and other unprocessed foods.
A series of new studiespublished in the magazine Foodssuggest that grape consumption can have a significant impact on health and mortality, particularly when added to a high-fat Western diet.
The research, which was partially funded by the California Grape Commission, suggests that adding about 2 cups of grapes per day to a high-fat Western diet led to decreased fatty liver disease and longer life in mice.
Fatty liver disease can lead to liver cirrhosis and eventually liver cancer. According to the study findings, table grapes may play an important role in reducing the incidence of fatty liver disease and its deadly sequelae.
Primary author John PezzutoPhD, dean and professor of pharmacy at Western New England University School of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, said his research demonstrates how eating grapes might help offset some of the effects of a high-fat Western diet.
“First, it increases life expectancy, which indicates a global whole-body response,” Pezzuto told Healthline. “Next, the body’s antioxidant defense system is enhanced. In addition, fatty liver, which is estimated to affect 25% of the population and lead to poor health outcomes, is prevented or at least delayed.
According to Pezzuto, the study findings also indicate that anyone could potentially benefit from eating more grapes, regardless of the type of diet or eating pattern that person may follow.
“The mechanisms that we have shown to be mediated by grapes can be generalized to promote good health, independent of diet,” Pezzuto said.
a healthy gut microbiome it is important for general health and well-being and influences the functioning of vital organs, including the brain.
study co-author jeffrey idlePhD, Director and Arthur G. Zupko Professor of Systems Pharmacology and Pharmacogenomics at Long Island University, explained that it was evident from the research that the addition of grapes had a profound effect on the microbiota in the mouse model.
But more research is still needed to establish whether the health effects of grapes can be reproduced in humans, particularly whether consuming grapes could reduce or reverse fatty liver disease.
In general, experts don’t recommend a high-fat Western diet, even if adding more grapes to the mix might offset some, but not all, of the negative effects.
“Grapes are known to contain resveratrol, a phytonutrient [and] antioxidant that is anti-inflammatory and may be beneficial to health,” said dana Ellis hunesPhD, MPH, RD, senior clinical dietitian at UCLA Medical Center, assistant professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, and author of “Recipe for survival.”
“That said, a high fat content [or] The Western diet rich in animal protein cannot be completely undone by just adding 2 cups of grapes. [per] day, as we have seen that adding fish oil supplements to an unhealthy diet is also not a panacea for what ails us.
Hunnes noted that it’s often difficult to see sufficient changes in health outcomes in nutrition studies conducted over short periods, particularly in nonhuman animal studies (Pezzuto’s mouse study spanned just over 18 weeks).
2020 investigation attributes the high-fat Western diet to the prevalence of fatty liver disease in developed countries like the United States, with up to a quarter of all Americans affected.
To reduce the effects of Western eating patterns, most health experts recommend following a healthy, balanced diet rich in nutrient-rich whole foods.
for example, a Mediterranean dietwhich emphasizes fish and plant foods, is high in nutrients, including healthy fats (monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats), which are known for their health benefits and their ability to help prevent chronic disease.
Also whole foods, plant-based dietwhen balanced, it is known to reduce the risk of chronic conditions such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and fatty liver disease.
In other words, simply adding a couple of cups of grapes to an unhealthy diet is less effective for your overall health than following a lifelong healthy, balanced eating pattern. According to new research, grapes may be a valuable addition to current dietary recommendations.
“Just as diet influences disease, a healthy, balanced diet provides the best overall disease prevention,” Idle said.
“Daily consumption of 5 servings a day of fruits and vegetables has been recommended, with no stipulation as to specific fruits, for example. Our joint research with Dr. Pezzuto strongly suggests that table grapes should be a major component of these 5 servings per day.”
A next step worth investigating could be the palliative effect of grapes on the development of fatty liver disease.
“This could be profoundly important as so many people are affected by fatty liver. We need to examine this in more detail,” Pezzuto said.
“We are particularly fascinated by the effect of grapes in gene expression. We have reported this effect in the brain and liver, both with good results, but we know from unpublished work that gene expression also changes in other tissues, such as the kidney, for example,” said Pezzuto. “We will explore this in greater detail.”
Additionally, Pezzuto’s grape study was done with females, and his team is currently conducting studies to investigate the effect of grapes on males.
“Some colleagues have suggested that the effects may be even greater [in] males,” Pezzuto said. “This is a long-term study, but we are excited to have the opportunity to continue this work.”
The growing body of research on the health benefits of grapes speaks to the positive health effects of consuming a nutrient-rich whole food.
“Overall, I think this work will be seen as a tour de force in the field of nutrigenomics,” Pezzuto said. “Not only [are] ‘you are what you eat’, but ‘you become what you eat’ through altered gene expression, including in the brain. You have to ask yourself if eating habits, behavior and personality are more closely related than you ever imagined.”
However, despite the positive findings, experts say adding healthy foods like grapes to an unhealthy diet is unlikely to have a significant impact on human health and long-term life expectancy.
More human studies are still needed to determine if grape consumption can reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as fatty liver and increase life expectancy. For now, experts continue to recommend a healthy, balanced diet rich in nutrient-rich whole foods to promote overall health and wellness.
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