Concord grapes (Vitis lambrusca), native to North America

If the measure of success is a product loved by

generations of consumers, there's one berry far above all others:

Concord grape

Let's consider factors why we can give Concord grape the crown as

Berry King

Summary in comparison to other berries, with details below

• longest history as a consumer product
• most diverse number of consumer products -- fresh produce, juice, jam, wine, raisins, to name a few
• taking all products into consideration, more than $1 billion in annual world revenues
• good range of micronutrients, including substantial vitamin C and manganese
• most anthocyanin pigments of any North American fruit analyzed to date
• excellent levels of total phenolics and ORAC
• most medical research year by year, with the longest history of published scientific studies (since 1881)
• 16 current human studies (clinical trials) being assessed by the US National Institutes of Health
• current research evaluating potential health benefits against aging effects and several major diseases, including inflammation, cardiovascular disease and cancer

[follow the Wikipedia links]

159 year history of commercial success

• 1849 in Concord, Mass., E.W. Bull achieved his goal of developing the "perfect" sweet and palatable grape: the "Concord." His work with seeds and seedlings spanned more than 10 years and was the result of 22,000 crossbreeding experiments on 125 vines

• by 1893, after samples were handed out at Chicago's World Fair, Concord grape juice was already an American favorite

• by 1955, Concord grape juice, jelly and jam products were sponsoring TV ads in North America and Europe and were featured at Disneyland

• by 2002, some 400,000 tons of fresh Concord grapes and about $1 billion in juice products were sold annually in 35 countries -- just by one company!

• by some estimates, there are more than 1000 Concord and dark grape products just in the USA

• the popularity of Concord and other dark red grapes carries over to wine-making and interest in potential health properties of red wines (see below)

overall nutrient content

• it isn't that Concord grapes have especially high content of one or a few nutrients, but rather contain many micronutrients and good levels of macronutrients -- click here for a nutrient profile

• Concord grapes are noted especially for vitamins B1 (thiamin), B6 (pyridoxine) and C, the essential mineral, manganese and dietary fiber

one of the densest contents among fruits for anthocyanin pigments

• in a 2005 study of 25 fruits by USDA scientists, Concord grape had the highest number of anthocyanins -- 31 different pigments in just this one small fruit! -- click to read the abstract!

• whether in grapes, grape juice or wine, total anthocyanins are proportional to pigment density which is proportional to total phenolic content which is proportional to antioxidant strength and ORAC

• Concord grape juice is a phenolic-rich beverage recommended by nutrition experts as a dietary protectant against Alzheimer's disease, click!

by far the most scientific research among berries

• Concord and red grapes are the research leader among all berries and exceed the publication history for most fruits

• more than 3000 medical research articles on grapes have been written since 1881

• nearly 500 medical research studies on red grapes (and wine!) were published in 2007

• grape and red wine resveratrol alone was the subject of 75 studies in 2007 and 237 medical research reports just since year 2000

• 16 clinical trials on grapes are in progress (click!), far exceeding the number of human studies for all other berries

• research has especially been focused on last week's topic --->

"Good  for Heart Health !"

Let's review what this means...

  Read the essay on Berries and Heart Health, click!

How do scientists assess "heart health" in the typical person?

1. arterial blood pressure

• "arterial" blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the body's tissues
• the heart pumps the blood into the arterial blood vessel system
• resistance against the pump is caused by the tone of the blood vessels and how much tissue they must supply
• blood pressure increases in diseases like atherosclerosis, obesity, chronic inflammation

2. amount of platelet aggregation and adhesion

• platelets are cells circulating in the blood. They are responsible as a defensive mechanism against bleeding
• if platelet levels are too high or if they stick together abnormally, they can cause blood clots
• blood clots disturb normal blood flow; if they form in veins, they can dislodge and travel back to the heart or lungs where they are dangerous to normal function and can threaten life

3. blood cholesterol

• although the body makes its own cholesterol, poor dietary habits can further elevate levels in the blood
• high blood levels can lead to formation of plaques on the arterial blood vessels, causing atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases

4. blood levels of C-reactive protein

• C-reactive protein is a protein released into the blood when a stimulus like stress calls for body defenses to be activated
• when its levels increase chronically, there is a source of inflammation in the body causing the rise
• inflammation is a root cause for many diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and others
• constantly high levels are associated with increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, heart attack and stroke

What New Research Has Shown:

Grapes May Provide Protection Against

Cardiovascular and Other Major Diseases

Drinking Concord grape juice:

• reduces blood pressure (in humans), click!

• reduces platelet aggregation and blood cholesterol (in rabbits)

• improves physical peformance and mental acuity during aging (in rats)

• inhibits early stages of cancer development (in rats)