Grapes are round fruits, sometimes oval, with a soft semi-translucent flesh covered by a thin skin. Their color can be light green, pale yellow, light red, red and dark blue.

Botanically the grape is a berry. It grows on vines in clusters.

Grapes are known to have been cultivated in Asia around 5000 B.C. and are also painted in Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Romans and the Greeks cultivated grapes for consumption and especially for making wine.

Today, the biggest grapes producers are Italy, France, Republic of China, United States, Spain and Turkey. Except for China, these countries are also important wine producers.

Grape juice is known to protect against heart disease by raising the levels of nitric oxide that reduce the formation of clots in blood vessels.

A polyphenol antioxidant, resveratrol, found in grapes, has been found to reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, nerve disease and viral infection as well as Alzheimer’s disease. Resveratrol inhibits the production of endothelin-1 and a hormone called angiotensin II that has a negative effect on heart, that cause a massive production of collagen stiffening the heart muscle making it hard for the heart to pump blood. Resveratrol is also improving the blood flow in the brain thus reducing stroke risk.

Resveratrol is also reducing the risk of prostate, lung and breast cancer. It protects the body against benzopyrenne, by inhibiting the AhR receptors on cells to which it binds.

The phytonutrients called saponins, normally found in grapes’ skin, are dissolved in wine during fermentation and lowers cholesterol. The red wine has been found to contain up to ten times the amount of saponins than the white one. Also, because of the alcohol in the wines, the saponins become more soluble.

Pterostilbene is an antioxidant found in grapes that lowers the cholesterol. It does that by activating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha (short PPAR-alpha) that helps the absorption of compounds into cells and is important for the metabolism of cholesterol.

A glass of wine daily will help those suffering from hypertension and reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. The red wine could protect against lung cancer and also have an anti-inflammatory effect. Red wine and red grapes have been found to be preventive agents for breast cancer as the aromatase, an enzyme that is present in breast cancer tissue, is inhibited by procyanidin B dimmers.

Purple grape juice and red wine can help protect against food-borne illness without damaging beneficial probiotic bacteria, like some antibiotics do.

However, wine can sometimes contain added preservatives, colors or flavors that can cause adverse reactions, migraines or attack of gout. For those that prefer not to consume alcohol, grape juice can be as efficient in reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke as the wine. Three glasses of grape juice has about the same health benefits as one of wine.

Juice obtained from Concord grapes has shown benefits against cancer, platelet aggregation, atherosclerosis, loss of memory and hypertension. This is due to the antioxidant capacity and the high rate of polyphenols.

Fruit facts summary:

• 33% of the daily value of manganese
• 6% of the daily value of Vitamin C
• 5% of the daily value of Vitamin B1 and B6
• 5% of the daily value of potassium
• Reduces blood clots
• Protects against heart disease
• Lowers cholesterol
• Lowers factors for coronary heart disease
• Reduces the risk of hypertension related death
• Protects against lung cancer and breast cancer
• Has anti-inflammatory effect
• May lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease
• Protects against food-borne Illness