“Astonishing” Effects of Grape Consumption and “Remarkable” Impacts on Health and Lifespans

Recent research published by Dr. John Pezzuto and his team at Western New England University shows “staggering” effects of grape consumption and “remarkable” impacts on health and life expectancy.

A study was published in the journal Foods. He showed that adding grapes in an amount equivalent to just under two cups of grapes per day to a high-fat diet, which is generally consumed in Western countries, produced reductions in fatty liver and increased life expectancy. Pezzuto pointed out that these studies add a whole new dimension to the old saying ‘you are what you eat’. He is the author of more than 600 scientific studies and said the work with grapes showed real changes in gene expression. “That’s really remarkable.”

Adding grapes to a high-fat diet also increased levels of antioxidant genes and delayed natural death. Pezzuto acknowledged that it is not an exact science to translate years of life from a mouse to a human. However, he said his best estimate is that the change seen in the study would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in a human’s life.

Another study by Dr. Pezzuto and his team was published in the journal antioxidants. He reported that grape consumption altered gene expression in the brain and had positive effects on behavior and cognition that were affected by a high-fat diet. A third study, published by a team led by Dr. Jeffrey Idle in the journal Food and Functionshowed that in addition to changes in gene expression, grapes also modify metabolism.

For more information on this research, see “Remarkable” impacts of grape consumption on health and life expectancy.

“Grape Consumption Modulates Gene Expression, Reduces Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Prolongs Longevity in Female C57BL/6J Mice Fed a High-Fat Western-Standard Diet” by Asim Dave, Eun-Jung Park, Avinash Kumar , Falguni Parande , Diren Beyoğlu, Jeffrey R. Idle, and John M. Pezzuto, July 5, 2022, Foods.
DOI: 10.3390/food11131984

“Effect of Dietary Grapes on Female C57BL6/J Mice Consuming a High-Fat Diet: Behavioral and Genetic Changes” by Falguni Parande, Asim Dave, Eun-Jung Park, Christopher McAllister, and John M. Pezzuto, February 18, 2022, antioxidants.
DOI: 10.3390/antiox11020414

“The Addition of Grapes to Both a Standard Western Pattern and High-Fat Diet Modifies Liver and Urinary Metabolite Profiles in the Mouse” by Diren Beyoğlu, Eun-Jung Park, Adolfo Quiñones-Lombraña, Asim Dave, Falguni Parande, John M. Pezzuto and Jeffrey R. Idle, July 20, 2022, Food and Function.
DOI: 10.1039/D2FO00961G

The California Table Grape Commission provided the grapes used in the studies, as well as partial support.