Grape Seeds May be an Unknown Health Pill Hidden Inside Seeded Grapes
It’s said that when man touches many things today, he ruins them. This can be said for grapes, which are already known for having lots of pesticide residue, but considering that many varieties are now seedless, one may consider this a natural junk food.
The seeds are now known to contain something called proanthocyanidins, which are very powerful flavonoids that are now thought to be anti-inflammatory, antioxidant boosting, and blood circulation enhancing all at the same time!
Man makes grapes seedless in order to enhance the eating pleasure, but in reality he is making it devoid of one of the newest best known health “pills” that nature has manufactured for us.
The thing is, you have to chew them up.
I know, I know, it’s yucky at first.
No one wants to chew up grape seeds and feel like they have a mouthful of grit, but when you learn what’s inside these little gems, you might change your tune!
Grape Seeds Antioxidants Roundup
Grape seeds are known to contain flavonoids including catechin, epicatechin, gallic acid, epicatechin 3-O-gallate, gallocatechin, epigallocatechin, and the grand daddy of them all, oligomeric proanthocyanidins. Recent research says that the antioxidant payload of proanthocyanidins is 20x higher than vitamin E and 50x more than vitamin C.
How’s THAT grab ya?
Not only that, but these proanthocyanidins actually increase the effectiveness of other antioxidants that they come into contact with, so having this in your system along with other antioxidant rich food sources creates a synergistic disease and inflammation fighting one two punch that’s hard to beat.
Joint inflammation, arthritis, psoriasis, and asthma are conditions that may be benefited by regular consumption of grapes seeds and their huge antioxidant cargo.
Grape Seeds Proanthocyanidins for Improved Circulation
Grape seeds and their nutrition can help to strengthen tired and worn out blood vessels like capillaries, veins, and arteries. There was a double blind placebo study that studied the effects of proanthocyanidins on the swollen legs of women who had to sit all day, and it was a clinical study that showed that grape seed extract actually reduced the leg swelling.
This isn’t even the end. It’s just the beginning!
Grape seed extract has been observed to help control tachycardia (fast resting heart rate that is abnormal), reduce intensity of myocardial infarction (heart attack), help in the reduction of early stage atherosclerosis, reduce the levels of oxidized LDL cholesterol (another artery killer), and protect against heart poisoning by a drug named doxorubicin.
Grape Seeds Might be in the Future for Cancer Prevention
While you can’t yet tout grape seeds and the extract to cure cancer, there have been observations in mice that show a reduction in skin and colon cancers when exposed to carcinogenic compounds.
My position here is that while you can’t completely bank on it, why not eat some delicious grapes while hoping for the best as you chew up the grape seeds that are in the grape and give your insides a possible health boost? Does it hurt to do that? Not really.
While we wouldn’t want to give any poor soul who is suffering and grasping at straws any false hope, it surely can’t hurt.
These grape seeds compounds have been shown to aid in apoptosis of cancer cells, which is just a fancy way of saying that it has been shown to stop the uncontrolled cell division seen in cancer cells and let them die the way normal cells do.
Are Grape Seeds the New Skinny Tea?
Another promising area for grape seeds and their extracts is in the area of obesity research. It has been demonstrated that they can reduce the activity of the fat metabolizing enzymes lipoprotein lipase and pancreatic lipase. What that means is that when taken with meals, it inhibits the metabolization and absorption of dietary fats. Can anyone say French Paradox? It’s known that many of these chemicals from the seeds make their way into wine since it’s all crushed and fermented together. Perhaps this combined with the beneficial skin components and some alcohol content is the real muscle behind the French ability to eat rich food and not keel over the way American burger gulpers tend to do.
Grape Seeds For Mood Enhancement
This might seem to be getting silly, but grape seeds chemicals have also been shown to have a beneficial effect on moods. The proanthocyanidins were shown to elevate the moods of mice much like the effects of a famous antidepressant drug. It did this by increasing seratonin in three major brain regions.
So there ya go. Everything from disease prevention and control, weight loss, and mood elevation, and throw in some cardiovascular benefits to boot.
Now no one is claiming that just taking grape seeds extract and eating the seeds is going to cure you, but hey, it’s an easy and cheap insurance policy, and it’s healthy too.
Just one note. If you have diverticulosis of the intestine, you should chew them VERY well. You wouldn’t want to have large seed pieces gumming up the works down there and causing an infection. Remember, grind them up well before swallowing if you have that condition. Otherwise, you’re good to go.
Spread the word about grape seeds, grape seed extract, and their health potential.
You never know who you might help!
