Health benefits of grapes significantly underestimated: '1600 healthy substances in a small fruit'

You can find them in almost every supermarket and they are often on a snack platter as a healthy counterpart to all kinds of delicious cheeses, but did you know that grapes are perhaps the most underrated superfood?

Scientists have found more than 1,600 bioactive compounds in the fruit that influence everything: your heart, brain, skin, intestines, and even your genes. Where does such a tiny fruit put it all?

The term superfood doesn't actually have an official scientific definition. Yet, the label is often applied to anything packed with antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. Think blueberries, chia seeds, or pomegranates, that sort of thing. Strangely enough, grapes have never achieved that status, despite the fact that there's at least as much evidence for their health benefits. Grapes are unfairly underestimated, say researchers in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry .

According to the study, fresh grapes contain a mix of 1,600 substances, including polyphenols: plant compounds that, among other things, reduce inflammation, protect cells, and slow the aging process. Well-known compounds include flavonoids, anthocyanidins, catechins, and resveratrol, which is also found in red wine.

So can you just drink a glass of wine for the ultimate health boost? Unfortunately, not. Although certain health benefits are linked to an occasional glass of wine , Metro recently reported.

So what exactly do all these substances do? Well, quite a lot. Dozens of clinical studies show that grapes are good for your heart (they promote healthy blood vessels and help regulate cholesterol), support the brain, protect the skin from UV damage, and positively influence gut flora, which is very important for your overall health .

And if that weren't enough, grapes also appear to be active at the genetic level. Research in the field of nutrigenomics shows that the compounds in grapes can influence gene expression. In plain language: they help your body behave more healthily at the cellular level.

The research isn't from some obscure juice guru, but from renowned scientists like Professor John Pezzuto, an expert in nutrition and health. He compiled dozens of peer-reviewed studies on grapes and their effects on the body. The result: as far as he's concerned, grapes can easily be labeled a (fictitious) superfood.

Yet you rarely see them on trendy lists, among goji berries and spirulina. Perhaps because they seem too ordinary? While, with 1600 active ingredients, they may be far more versatile than many of their superfood competitors.

You don't have to make complicated smoothies or add them to a salad with quinoa (although you can, of course). Simply eating a bunch of grapes, about 150 to 250 grams a day, as a snack is enough to give your body a significant health boost. And yes, both the green and red varieties give your health a boost.

Remember: so-called superfoods are never the solution to your health. Metro previously wrote about the sense and nonsense of superfoods .

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