A grape juice a day keeps chronic disease at bay
Drinking a glass of purple grape juice a day could help to protect the body from chronic diseases, new research has found. A study into the properties of fruit juices by the University of Glasgow in the UK has found that purple grape juice contains the highest and broadest range of polyphenols and antioxidants. Antioxidants are believed to be beneficial for preventing diseases such as cancer and coronary heart disease. The study also found that cranberry and cloudy apple juice have high levels of antioxidants, but that the levels varied 'markedly' between the juices studied. 'Not all fruit juices are the same,' said Alan Crozier, professor of plant biochemistry and human nutrition, who conducted the study. 'Supplementing a healthy diet with a regular intake of a variety of fruit juices such as purple grape juice, grapefruit juice, cloudy apple juice and cranberry juice, will, without major dietary changes, increase, both qualitatively and quantitatively, the consumer's intake of phenolic antioxidants,' he added. The study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, examined cloudy apple, pomegranate, cranberry, grapefruit, clear apple, pineapple, orange, tomato, red grape and white grape juice. The Glasgow University recently published findings from the US Kame project, which associated long-term fruit juice consumption with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease. The Glasgow study suggests these protective effects may be strengthened by consumption of a combination of juices with a high concentration and broad range of polyphenolic antioxidants. The study also revealed the number and level of antioxidant phenolic compounds in purple grape juice equates with those found in a Beaujolais red wine
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United Kingdom