Grape Juice Boost
Baby Boomers Would Be Wise to Drink Grape Juice for Brain Health
The purple stuff kids go for is great for adults as well. Just be sure to be drinking the right kind.
Grape juice may be a favorite drink of young tikes and toddlers, but older tycoons would be wise to drink some of the sweet stuff too. That’s because a new study says grape juice can boost the memory of baby boomers.
The study was pretty thorough, in that it was double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled, but what it had in thoroughness it lacked in size. Just 12 people took part in the study.
Be that as it may, the findings are still pretty impressive. For instance, over the course of the study period, those who drank Concord grape juice showed marked improvements in various cognitive functions at the end of the study compared to the beginning, like showing improvements in verbal learning and spatial reasoning.
Writing in the journal that published the study, the British Journal of Nutrition, the researchers said that their findings “suggest that supplementation with Concord grape juice may enhance cognitive function for older adults with early memory decline.”
The other thing that the researchers pointed out was that these findings do not necessarily apply to Alzheimer’s disease patients or preventing the disease’s onset. The study looked at cognitive functions that were related to Alzheimer’s, but indirectly so.
I’ve written pretty extensively about grapes in the past, how there are a lot of “grape gripers” who like to complain about their high sugar content. But as I said then, there’s a big difference between natural sugar and refined sugar. The body metabolizes refined sugars in a much different manner than natural sugar (i.e., fructose), the former being stored as fat, while the latter is used more as a fuel source for energy.
That said there are LOTS of grape juices on the market today that are heavy in refined sugars. In fact, they may say 100 percent juice and still contain loads of added sugars. So read labels, ingredients and nutrition facts carefully.
Surprisingly, there’s actually a very well-known juice that is 100 percent juice, has no added sugars AND is organic—Welch’s. Welch’s Organic 100 Percent Concord Grape Juice has absolutely no added sugars.
Now, should you go out and buy yourself a jug of Welch’s brand grape juice, you’ll probably be shocked to see the sugar content in a 10-ounce glass—52 grams.
I’m not going to lie, that’s a lot, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what other grape juices have (i.e. 60 grams and up!).
The bottom line is this: If you’re looking to lose weight and still get the antioxidant benefits that grape juice provides, keep your grape juice drinking to one glass a day. In fact, even if you’re not trying to lose weight, keep juice drinking to one glass a day. Yes, natural sugars are better than refined sugars, but they’re still carbohydrates, and excess carbs contribute to unnecessary weight gain.
As always, all things in moderation is the key.
Sources:
nutraingredients.com
welchs.com
hookedonjuice.com
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Posted: January 10th, 2010 under Brain Health.
Tags: concord grape juice, grape juice, grape juice benefits, grape juice health
