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The simplest, least expensive approach to boost your metabolism, immune system, and cognitive function is by eating grapes. Grapes cost around $2.09 per pound and are a great source of calcium, Vitamin C, and other important elements. We now know more about the health advantages of grapes than ever before.
Together with a group of Western New England University academics, Dr. John Pezzuto researched the advantages of grapes for health. The three studies, which look at metabolism, fatty liver disease, and brain health, show that grape intake led to longer lifespans and reduced fatty liver. The investigations were carried out after the researchers examined the effects of grape eating on mice’s gene expression. The researchers stress that the data may accurately relate to human health concerns despite not doing human studies.
We’ve all heard the saying that “you are what you eat,” which is certainly accurate given that everyone begins life as a fetus and ends up becoming an adult by ingesting food, according to Dr. John Pezzuto, senior author of three recent studies. But these studies give the proverb a whole new meaning. In addition to being converted to our bodily components, food also changes the expression genes, as shown by our research with dietary grapes. That is really amazing.
First Study: Fatty Liver Disease and Longevity
According to the findings of Pezzuto’s first investigation, grape eating caused certain gene expressions in the mice. According to this research, eating grapes increased an animal’s overall longevity and lowered their likelihood of developing fatty liver disease. The animals consumed a diet heavy in fat typical of the West in order to execute the research appropriately. This research, which was published in the journal Foods, asserts that grape intake may reduce the negative effects of a typical Western diet and guard against oxidative damage.
What impact does this change in gene expression have? “Fatty liver is avoided or delayed, which affects about 25% of the population worldwide and may ultimately result in adverse outcomes, including liver cancer,” the researchers said. By eating grapes, the genes that can cause the formation of fatty liver were altered in a positive manner.
Second Study: Metabolism
The results of the second study, which was written up in the journal Food & Function, show that eating grapes alters metabolism. Grapes were given to mice on high-fat diets, and Pezzuto and his colleagues discovered that the animals had higher amounts of antioxidant genes. According to the research, grapes aid in the gut microbiota’s metabolism, improving the effectiveness of the liver and enhancing energy generation.
According to Pezzuto, “many individuals consider using dietary supplements that advertise significant antioxidant activity. However, an antioxidant cannot be consumed often enough to have a significant impact. If you alter the amount of gene expression for antioxidants, as we saw when grapes were added to the diet, the outcome is a big reaction that can really make a difference.”
Third Study: Mental Health
The last study investigated the effect of grape intake on brain function, and it was released in the journal Antioxidants. The study emphasizes the detrimental behavioral and cognitive stresses that a high-fat diet places on the brain. Consuming grapes, on the other hand, has a favorable impact on the brain and brain metabolism and helps to reduce these stresses. The degree of the beneficial effects would need to be further investigated, the researchers observed, from this first result.
Our best estimate is that the shift shown in the research would correlate to an extra 4-5 years in a person’s life, however it is not an exact science to convert years of lifetime from a mouse to a human. Although it is unclear how any of this pertains to people specifically, it is evident that adding grapes in the diet alters gene expression in organs other than the liver.
