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The Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract |
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The Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract
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Darrell Miller | 11/14/16 |
Date:
November 14, 2016 10:20 PM
Author: Darrell Miller
Subject: The Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract
Grape seed extract is most commonly a waste product produced by the grape juice and winery industry. This is because grape seed extract doesn't go into finished drinks. Grape seed contains a wide variety of health-enhancing ingredients like protein, carbohydrates and lipids (healthy fats).
Immune system
A study done on healthy volunteers found that grape seed considerably increased the levels of antioxidants in the blood. So, another one of the benefits of grape seed is it helps boosts the immune system to fight against harmful compounds which may reduce the risk of chronic diseases including breast, stomach, colon, prostate and lung cancer.
Vascular Endothelial Health
Grape seed extracts have been tied to the prevention of cardiovascular diseases partly due to the long association of grape wines with low prevalence of heart diseases among the French. Besides, there is a growing literature devoted to the health potential of grape seed concerning their positive effects on vascular endothelial growth factor, a type of protein that signals the development of new healthy blood vessels and improves the circulation of oxygen to tissues that suffer oxygen deprivation.
High Blood Pressure
Due to its antioxidant activity that may protect the blood vessels, grape seed extract could theoretically benefit people with high blood pressure. The UMMC points out that study in animals indicate that it's useful for this purpose. However, there are no human studies that have looked at grape seed extract's effect on hypertension.
High Cholesterol
The Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center states that one study suggests that grape seed, when taken with chromium, may lower "bad" blood cholesterol. The UMMC describes grape seed extract's effects on blood cholesterol as "promising"; however, more research is needed to see if grape seed is beneficial for this purpose.
Pancreas
In one study, patients with chronic inflammation of the pancreas (pancreatitis), grape seed extract showed promise. It appeared to significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of symptoms such as abdominal pain and nausea. This occurred even after conventional medications failed to help. These results are very preliminary and further studies will be needed to confirm these findings.
