What we eat has a huge impact on our health and wellbeing. Certain foods are known to lower your risk for dangerous conditions, while others can have the opposite effect.
Consuming plenty of fruit and veggies though is typically a safe bet, being packed with vitamins and fibre.
But some are more powerful than others. One expert has revealed that a specific fruit, found in every supermarket, could provide a whole range of incredible health benefits.
According to nutritional scientist Alex Ruani, red grapes could help lower cholesterol and inflammation, and boost immunity.
Speaking to The Times, Ms Ruani, a researcher in nutrition science at University College London, explained how red grapes are rich in polyphenols.
These are antioxidant plant compounds. Red grapes specifically contain a type called anthocyanins, the blue pigment shown to benefit brain health, and resveratrol, which has been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anti-ageing effects.
The peel and pips of red grapes are also rich in other antioxidants, including catechins and epicatechins, which are also found in tea and are known to reduce oxidative stress in the body.
Ms Ruani said: “A very detailed 2023 Nature study involving healthy men and women found that eating three 80 gram daily servings of grapes [that’s about 14 grapes per serving] for two weeks increased levels of beneficial bacteria such as Streptococcus thermophilus and decreased potentially harmful Holdemania spp., promoting a healthier gut microbiome.
“These changes are often associated with improved digestion, immune support and reduced inflammation.”
The same study also showed a substantial increase of molecules related to DNA repair, suggesting bioactive compounds in grapes might enhance mechanisms linked to a healthier, longer life.
Grapes are known to reduce low-density lipoprotein due to the amount of fibre they contain, Gloucestershire Live reports.
This is because soluble fibres can delay or even reduce certain nutrients from being absorbed into your blood, such as cholesterol.
Another study, published in the Food and Function journal in 2015, revealed the benefits of red grapes specifically.
It found that people with high cholesterol who ate three cups of red grapes a day for eight weeks had lower total cholesterol as well as reduced low-density lipoprotein.
As part of the study researchers from the Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, in Iran, split 69 patients into three groups.
Two of the groups consumed 500 grams of either Condori red grapes or Shahroodi white grapes daily for eight weeks, while the third group did neither.
The researchers said: “Total antioxidant capacity was increased significantly in both red and white grape consuming groups compared to the control group.
“Total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were decreased in the red grape group compared to the control group.”
The findings endorsed eating red grapes over white (or green).
“The results of this study suggest that consumption of the whole fruit of red grapes has more potent anti-oxidative and hypolipidemic effects compared to the white grapes in hyperlipidemic adult humans,” the team said.
“Hence, the whole fruit of red grapes may be an excellent fruit choice not only to prevent oxidative stress related metabolic disorders but also cholesterol related cardiovascular diseases, particularly in hyperlipidemic adult humans.”