Grape Seed – More than just heart protection

grape seedThe many benefits of grape seed.

Did you know that the French are up to 50% less likely to die from heart disease than any other Western industrialized nation?

The French still have high blood pressure and cholesterol. They eat fatty foods and drink more wine than anyone else, yet they seem to be immune to coronary heart disease. So what can we learn from this.

Americans have proposed that the betaine or (trimethylglycine, or TMG – which is in Tikva) added to cheap wine is the real reason.

The most accepted explanation is that wine has ingredients that keep the French at a lower risk of heart attack. Some say, that it is the alcohol itself, but the strongest evidence for the heart protection actually comes from the non-alcoholic parts. Both red (more beneficial) and white wine, have powerful antioxidants and other factors that protect the heart and cardiovascular system.

So what are these protective factors in wine?

grape seed vineGrapevines have dozens of different phytochemicals that can affect different areas of the human body.

The best known phytochemicals in a grapevine are:

Quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (from seeds) and anthocyanins (responsible for the color of red and purple grapes). These are all classified as polyphenols

The most studied of these phytocompounds are quercetin, resveratrol, proanthocyanidins (from seeds), and anthocyanins (which give purple and red grapes their color). All of these phytocompounds are classified as polyphenols.

According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, polyphenols are abundant micronutrients in our diet, and there is evidence for their role in the prevention of degenerative diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases.

In addition, scientific studies show that grape seed helps in multiple areas including:

  • Natural antibiotics
  • Improvement for diabetics
  • Improve heart and arteries
    Helps to fight brain aging

vitamin E antioxidantGrape seed is a super antioxidants, that is more powerful than Vitamin E. It helps reduce environmental stress on the body and intercept free radicals from the food we eat. Grape seed extract provides a broad spectrum of antioxidant protection.

Proanthocyanidins are a class of polyphenols that attack free radicals.

“Free radicals are atoms or groups of atoms with an odd (unpaired) number of electrons and can be formed when oxygen interacts with certain molecules. Once formed these highly reactive radicals can start a chain reaction, like dominoes. Their chief danger comes from the damage they can do when they react with important cellular components such as DNA, or the cell membrane. Cells may function poorly or die if this occurs. To prevent free radical damage the body has a defense system of antioxidants.”

-Rice.edu

Proanthocyanidins make up about 90% of grape seed extract. It acts as a super antioxidant, which is 15-20 times stronger than Vitamin E and 50 times stronger than Vitamin C.

In a study done with Grape seed extract, it was shown that pre-supplementation with grape seed extract, reduced DNA fragmentation in the brain by 50% and in the liver by 47%

Syndrome X and Blood Sugar

syndrome x

Syndrome X is a group of risk factors (including glucose intolerance, high triglycerides, obesity, and hypertension) that indicate predisposition to diabetes.

Fats, blood sugar and diabetes all affect the cardiovascular system, but you do not have to have full-blown diabetes to have sugar-related damage.

Your main defense against Syndrome X is a healthy diet.

According to Life Extension Foundation:

“The number-one antidote is a healthy diet. Vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and–again–vegetables. Second, take out insurance. Scientific studies show that high-quality supplements may be the best health insurance you can get for your cardiovascular system. They neutralize chemicals, counteract free radicals, and slash the risk of age-related cardiovascular diseases that kill and disable the most Americans. They provide a consistently high dose of concentrated nutrients in a tiny package, and in some cases, they are absorbed better than the nutrients from food.”

-Life Extension Foundation

Blood Clots and Grapes

Grape Seed extract helps prevent blood from clumping or clotting, which can cause heart attacks and strokes. It reduces “foam cells” which are an indication of plaque build-up by as much as 60%.

Reduce your brain age

brainAs we age, so do our brains. Now there is research out of the University of Alabama that shows that grape seed extract can reverse brain aging at the protein level.

Grape seed extract increases the good proteins that are lost as we age and it reduces the bad proteins that are responsible for reducing your brains ability to make new cells, creating scar tissue that reduces recovery after a stroke, and this same bad protein shows up in Alzheimer’s patients.

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