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Writer's pictureKristina Landolfi, MA, MCHC

A Grape Way To Boost Your Brain Health

One thing has stayed the same from ancient times to today: people love grapes! Those juicy spheres are nature's candy, and with wide varieties from concord to cotton candy, there's a flavor for everyone. Grapes are great for more than snacking on and turning into wine; they have some excellent health benefits, especially regarding cognitive functioning!


Purple/blue foods like grapes are known for their ability to help promote brain health. Grapes, in particular, can help to reduce oxidative stress and promote healthy blood flow and blood pressure in the brain. Research focusing on older adults found that 250 mg a day of a grape supplement significantly improved attention, memory, and language compared with their baseline. Another study showed that daily intake of Concord grape juice over three to four months had been shown to improve memory function in adults with mild cognitive impairment! Research has found that mothers who drank 12 ounces of concord grape juice daily for twelve weeks showed significant improvements in immediate spatial memory and driving performance. A different study found that 230 mL of purple grape juice improved reaction time, attention, and increased calm ratings in twenty healthy young adults; it's important to note that this study also suggests that even though they tested healthy young adults, there is no limitation when it comes to older adults or adults who chronically consume grape juice. The benefits are still the same! It doesn't stop there, grapes contain resveratrol which may protect against Alzheimer’s disease by reducing brain inflammation!


So if improvement in memory, cognitive functioning, attention, and mood are not enough to convince you grapes have a lot going for them, I have one more fun fact to leave you on. Among the many other health benefits of eating grapes, grapes may also protect us against certain types of cancer. Grapes have a lot of powerful phytochemicals that have been shown in vitro and in vivo to inhibit cancer cell proliferation.


I don't know what's eating Gilbert, but we should all try eating grapes!


Sources:

https://import.cdn.thinkific.com/357713/courses/1488728/JNME20192125070-210929-151725.pdf

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