grape juice Drinking Grape Juice Improves Memory in Older Adults

It's one of the most dreaded problems associated with growing older –- memory problems. But dementia and even plain old "senior moments" don't have to be inevitable with age. Research is mounting that do-it-yourself strategies like continuing to challenge your brain by learning new things and exercise can help preserve your cognition as you age. Now scientists have found that a delicious natural drink can actually improve memory in older adults who have already experienced early memory decline. The brain power booster isn't anything exotic or rare, either –- it is Concord grape juice.

A ground-breaking pilot study, led by Robert Krikorian, PhD, of the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, was recently presented at the 38th annual scientific meeting of the American Aging Society in Boulder, Colorado. Dr. Krikorian and his research team gave 12 adults with early memory decline a total of 15 to 21 ounces of Concord grape juice or placebo daily (the amount varied depending on body weight) for 12 weeks.

This was the first placebo-controlled human study to investigate whether regular consumption of a polyphenol-rich food or beverage such as grape juice could positively impact age-related cognitive decline. Polyphenols are found in a wide variety of phytonutrient-containing food, including grapes, and are known to have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Previous research has linked them to combating oxidative stress and suggested they could hold the key to preventing cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases.

The study participants who drank the Concord grape juice were found to have significant improvements when given learning tests. The researchers concluded this suggests a measurable improvement in short-term memory retention –- so adding Concord grape juice in the diet may provide benefit for older adults with early memory decline.

The evidence that a diet including phytonutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and juices may help slow and possibly even reverse age-related mental declines is especially good news for America's aging Baby Boomer population. The number of people 65 years of age and older will double to 70 million by 2030 and cases of age-related cognitive decline as well as dementia from Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other causes are expected to soar. In fact, a Duke University study published early this year in the Annals of Internal Medicine concluded that 22 percent over age 70 have mild cognitive problems and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) estimates up to 4.5 million Americans have AD.

"A simple, easy-to-incorporate dietary intervention that could improve or protect memory function, such as drinking Concord grape juice daily, may be beneficial for the aging population. These results with Concord grape juice are very encouraging and certainly warrant additional study," Dr. Krikorian stated in a prepared statement for the media.
(By: Sherry Baker)

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Study Finds Grapes Offer a Bunch of Ways to Help Hearts

Love grapes? Hate heart disease risk factors? Here's good news for you: University of Michigan Cardiovascular research suggests eating grapes could lower blood pressure, help heal signs of heart muscle damage and improve heart function.

Just published in the October issue of the Journal of Gerontology: Biological Sciences, the study concludes grapes potentially could dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The reason? The scientists think it's most likely due to the high level of naturally occurring antioxidants called phytochemicals present in grapes. Phytochemicals have consistently been shown in other studies, including earlier University of Michigan research, to reduce potentially harmful cell-damaging free radical activity in the body.

Although the study was performed in laboratory rats bred especially to have salt-sensitive high blood pressure, the researchers note their findings are very encouraging for people. Their data adds more evidence to a quickly accumulating body of knowledge about the health benefits of grapes.

"These findings support our theory that something within the grapes themselves has a direct impact on cardiovascular risk, beyond the simple blood pressure-lowering impact that we already know can come from a diet rich in fruits and vegetables," said Mitchell Seymour, M.S., in a statement to the media. Seymour led the research as part of his doctoral work in nutrition science at Michigan State University and manages the University of Michigan Cardioprotection Research Laboratory.

The scientists looked at the effect of a blend of powdered green, red, and black table grapes that were mixed into the rats' diet. Then they compared the rats that ate the grape powder-laden meals with control rats who didn't have any grapes, including some animals who received a small dose of a commonly prescribed blood-pressure medication called hydrazine.

After 18 weeks, the rats that ate the grape-enriched food had lower blood pressure, better heart function, reduced inflammation throughout their bodies, and far less signs of heart muscle damage than the rats fed the otherwise same salty diet but without grapes. What's more, the rats that received hydrazine with a salty diet also had lower blood pressure but, significantly, their hearts were not protected from damage like those in the grape-supplemented group.

Bottom line: Grapes offered cardioprotective benefits while a widely used drug did not.

In the press statement, University of Michigan heart surgeon Steven Bolling, M.D., said the rats in the study were not so different from millions of Americans who also have high blood pressure related to diet and who often develop heart failure because of prolonged hypertension.

"The inevitable downhill sequence to hypertension and heart failure was changed by the addition of grape powder to a high-salt diet," stated Bolling, who is professor of cardiac surgery at the University of Medical School and also heads the University of Michigan Cardioprotection Research Laboratory. "Although there are many natural compounds in the grape powder itself that may have an effect, the things that we think are having an effect against the hypertension may be the flavanoids -- either by direct antioxidant effects, by indirect effects on cell function, or both. These flavanoids are rich in all parts of the grape, including the skin, flesh and seed."
(By: Sherry Baker)

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