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What Are the Health Benefits of Concord Grapes & Cranberry Juice?

Oct 18, 2011 | By Terri Williams
What Are the Health Benefits of Concord Grapes & Cranberry Juice?
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Concord grapes and cranberries – as well as their juices – rank among some of the healthiest fruit. Both are high in vitamin C and other nutrients, and concord grapes have a higher antioxidant capacity than any other fruit. Although wine has been touted for its heart-healthy benefits, concord grape juice contains the same compound found in wine, which lowers cholesterol and aid in heart health, without the alcoholic effects. Cranberry juice contains an abundance of specific antioxidants known as proanthocyanidins, which are unique to the cranberry family and fight infections and certain cancers.

Concord Grapes and Brain Aging

Research suggests that the high antioxidant level in concord grape juice may cause a decrease in age-related brain deterioration. In an article published in the “Journal of Nutrition,” researchers studied the consumption of high anti-antioxidants, including concord grape juice. The Tufts University results revealed that a diet consisting of either grapes or grape juice, or other berries or walnuts, lowers the risks of an age-related decrease in brain function, and in people with mild cognitive impairment, it improves verbal memory performance. (Reference 3)

Concord Grapes and Cholesterol

An increase in good -- or HDL -- cholesterol levels has been attributed to Concord grape consumption. Boston University researchers conduced a study of men who were diagnosed with coronary heart disease and were taking standard medications. The results, published in “Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology,” revealed that Concord grape juice significantly lowered good cholesterol levels and reduced CD40 ligand, which causes atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation. The researches noted that red wine also increases good cholesterol levels, but aside from being non-alcoholic, grape juice also has a higher concentration of proanthocyanidins – a polyphenol with antioxidant properties – than wine.

Cranberry Juice and Staph Infections

Cranberry juice has also been shown to block a strain of Staphylococcus aureus, or S. aureus. Researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute gave cranberry juice to one group of test subject and a placebo to the other group. The urine samples of the cranberry juice group revealed a significant reduction in the ability of S. aureus to form biofilm and cause infection. S. aureus is the main cause of urinary tract infections, and also causes other conditions ranging from skin rashes to bloodstream infections.

Cranberry Juice and Chemotherapy

The effectiveness of drugs used in ovarian cancer chemotherapy is enhanced by the consumption of cranberries and cranberry juice. In a joint study by researchers at Rutgers and Brown University, cancer cells that were resistant to platinum drugs were obtained, and some of the cells were treated with cranberry extracts. Afterward, all of the cells were treated with a platinum drug, which killed six times more cancer cells in the group treated with the cranberry extract than in the group that did not receive the supplementation.

References

Article reviewed by JamesS Last updated on: Oct 18, 2011

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