More Grape Benefits Jan 26

For California AG today, I'm Mike Stephens. We continue with Courtney Romano, registered dietitian and health advisor to the California Table Grape Commission. She continues by describing how grapes benefit the immune system.

There was another study that came out in 2020 in Neurology that showed that a higher intake of plant compounds that are called flavanols are associated with a 48 percent decreased risk in Alzheimer dementia and grapes have flavanols in them. It's a type of bioactive compound. Flavanols are known for promoting beneficial antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. And grapes of all colors do contain those. So the science is building and really showing us just how grapes make it deliver these benefits. Grapes may help support a healthy immune system, and again, the baseline is that grapes have these antioxidants and other polyphenols, which help protect the health and function of cells at the most basic level. Additionally, there have been studies on grape compounds such as resveratrol and certain flavonoids that have shown that they may positively influence immune function. Added to that is the fact that grapes are very hydrating. They contain about 82 percent water. Hydration is critical to optimizing immune response, and just in the past year, there were several different studies that came out about vitamin K, and grapes are a good source of vitamin K, and the studies show that vitamin K may help support lung health.