FRESNO, CA - Starting to feel a little stressed? Grapes may be the solution to your anxiety.
A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition Research suggests that eating grapes can reduce the negative impact of stress, according to a press release from the California Table Grape Commission.
“Grapes appear to influence several processes that support brain health,” said Samina Salim, Ph.D., the lead investigator. “The potential interplay between grapes’ antioxidant activity and their impact on cell communication is very intriguing to us and we intend to study it further.”
The study, which was conducted at the University of Houston, examined the protective role of grapes against stress, as well as the mechanisms by which grapes achieved this.
Researchers placed rats on grape-enriched diets, whereupon freeze-dried, whole grape powder was added to their drinking water for 3 weeks. They were then exposed to stressful or controlled exposure scenarios where their behavior was tested.
The results were intriguing. Animals fed with a grape-enriched diet were resistant to the memory impairment and anxiety-like behaviors that were observed in rats with stress but no grapes in their diet. According to the study, the enhanced antioxidant activity in grapes reduced the rats’ oxidative stress levels, subsequently activating key genes that help promote the survival of brain nerve cells.
So, the next time you get an inkling to reach for that stress ball, you might want to reach for a grape instead.
