[follow the Wikipedia links]

What fruit has the largest cultivation and production volumes in the world

and is consumed by hundreds of millions of people ?

Grapes!

Whether for the countless grape products we see in grocery stores or more specifically

just as raw fruit ("table" grapes), raisins or wine,

grapes are grown in numerous world regions

and many varieties providing the planet's most diversely used fruit.

Here at the Berry Doctor's Journal, we're interested in the nutrients and antioxidants that provide potential health benefits for consumers.

Let's have a look at these two categories, then peak at the emerging scientific literature to see what new information is coming!

[Medical research note: among all the berries discussed here at the Berry Doctor's Journal, grapes have been the subjects of more studies than all other berries combined!]

We covered this topic previously at the Berry Doctor's Journal.

Click here for a summary of 7 disease models being studied for the possible human benefits

of consuming red grapes and wine!

World's Healthiest Foods article on grapes (click!) and the in-depth nutrient profile

Nutrient and pigment antioxidant levels especially for

When shopping for fresh grapes, try those with the darkest skins and with seeds!

Yes, the seeds especially are the main source of the grape's antioxidants:

65% of the total grape phenolics are in seeds

22% in the stem leading to the grape itself

12% in the skin

only 1% in the pulp!

So buy dark seeded grapes and chew the seeds to increase your antioxidant intake!

Other grape facts

• red wines provide more health benefits than white wines because the red wines are made with the skins intact
• wine varietals are affected by the region where they are grown -- soil, climate, water quality, etc. -- all these factors are called the terroir (click and read!)
• dark raisins have greater content of antioxidant pigments than sultanas
• extend your enjoyment throughout the year by freezing fresh grapes -- a great treat always enjoyed by kids!
• daily consumption of half a glass of red wine plus six servings of fruit and vegetables may be preventive against heart disease in women (click)
• interested in reading a research paper comparing pigment antioxidants in red and white wines, including blueberry wine? Click here!
• wine consumption around the world is mainly a northern or southern latitude habit -- see the map below

Global wine consumption according to per capita worldwide

Lightest = up to 7 liters annually; darkest = more than 30 liters annually

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Read more about grape nutrients at the Linus Pauling Institute

Micronutrient Information Center!

Super-Grapes: Concords and Muscadines

These two dark-skinned varieties of grape, native to the northeast and southeast United States, respectively, contain the densest pigment concentrations among grape species. Use food and beverage products from these two types of grape.

Read about them on Wikipedia -- click the word: Concord grapes; Muscadine grapes

What do we know about the health benefits of Muscadine grapes?

Click here and read a Powerpoint presentation by Dr. Leon Boyd,

Department of Food Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh

Applications for Consumers

Recent Research on Grapes

click on the links below to read medical abstracts

• dark purple grape juices contain rich amounts of phenolics -- these common juices provide the same potential health benefit (at about 1/3 the cost!) as red wine

• quercetin intake is easily provided by consuming purple grape juice

• grapes in the diet may reduce risk of heart disease

• drinking Concord grape juice over years may improve memory and cognition during aging

• drinking muscadine grape juice may help diabetics

• the Kame Project: drinking dark grape juices over at least 7 years may deter Alzheimer's disease

More Background

• VineWeb
• Concord Grape Association
• History of the Concord grape, from the National Grape Cooperative
• Linus Pauling Institute, Micronutrient Information Center, Oregon State University
• Grape juice products, Welch's
• EncycloWine, the wine encyclopedia

Grapes are a dietary source of

purple, blue and red anthocyanin pigments!

In your produce shopping and meal preparation, practice the Color Code!

• Heber D. What Color Is Your Diet?, HarperCollins, 2001

• Read the interview with Dr. David Heber here!

                                      Scientists zero in on health benefits of berry pigments

• Joseph JA et al. The Color Code, Hyperion Books, 2002

Archives (click!)

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Dr. Paul
The Berry Doctor

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