6 top health benefits of grapes - from eye health to varicose veins

Bad puns aside, we like to think of the odd glass of red wine as medicinal, but did you know that grape seeds themselves have some surprising health benefits? It’s true that grapes have a whole host of health benefits – they’re packed with vitamins, antioxidants, and nutrients.

Antioxidants are plant chemicals that help stop free radicals or ‘oxidants’ – harmful molecules thought to contribute to ageing and age-related illnesses like heart disease – from damaging our DNA. And grape seeds are packed with antioxidant compounds called oligomeric proanthocyanin complexes (OPCs).

The antioxidants found in grape seeds may be particularly good at protecting our eyes from the damage wrought by free radicals. In a Korean laboratory study published in Current Eye Research in 2012, grapeseed extract was found to be able to ‘rescue’ retinal cells from oxidative damage.³

Grape seed antioxidants may also help support our heart health. In a 2004 clinical trial of 36 people at high risk of heart disease, Australian researchers discovered taking 2g of grapeseed extract every day for four weeks improved blood flow compared with placebo.⁴ A review of nine trials by Yale School of Medicine in 2011 concluded that ‘grape seed extract appears to significantly lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate’.⁵

Grapes are packed with several of the essential nutrients we need to be including in our diet. Below is the nutritional information for 151g of either red or green grapes:⁸ 104 calories, 3mg sodium, 1g protein, 28% vitamin K, 27% vitamin C, 2% vitamin A, 2% calcium, 3% iron, 6% vitamin B6 and 288mg potassium.

Grapes contain 288mg of potassium which is 6% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA). Not having enough potassium in your diet has been found to have links with high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke. A study was conducted with over 12,000 adults, people with higher levels of potassium in their body were less likely to suffer from heart diseases, when the level of potassium was higher in their body.

There have been links between eating grapes and improvements to a person’s memory, attention, and mood. 111 healthy older adults took part in a 12-week study, where they were given 250mg of a grape supplement per day. After 12 weeks, there was an improvement when researchers tested their attention, memory, and language, compared with their scores at the beginning of the study.⁹

A common question is which colour grape is better, red, or green? When we think of grapes, we normally think of the red and green variety, they’re the most common types. However, there’s a whole array of different colours available, including:

According to Alissa Rumsey, New York City based registered dietitian, certified strength and conditioning specialist and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, red and Concord grapes are better. Whilst all grapes are good for you, red and Concord are higher in flavonoids and phytonutrients, including resveratrol. Concord grapes are sometimes available fresh, but they usually come in grape juice, grape jelly and grape flavouring.¹⁰

A standard serving of grapes is 80g, which is around 14 grapes. Consuming a range of different fruits and vegetables is recommended for a healthy and balanced diet. It’s perfectly reasonable to eat a cup or more of grapes, but just make sure your diet is varied, and you are giving the body the nutrients and vitamins it needs. We wouldn't recommend consuming excessive amounts of grapes e.g. a punnet a day. Yes, grapes are packed full of many different health benefits however, too many can cause issues:¹²