A new study from the US has revealed that consuming grapes may protect against diabetes, by preventing the destruction of insulin-producing cells.
The findings, which were published in this month’s Journal of Nutrition, stated there was a significant reduction in diabetes in laboratory rodents who had consumed grapes. Mice that were fed a diet of grape powder (which contained all of the biologically active compounds found in fresh grapes) had a higher anti-oxidant capacity in their blood, and also had a reduced level of anti-inflammatory protein in spleen cells, which can assist in preventing diabetes.
“The protective effect of grapes was quite significant,” said Susan Zunino from the United States Department of Agriculture’s research division, as reported by the California Table Grape Commission. “In this study, we observed first hand their effect on two of the three critical components for the prevention of type 1 diabetes: the preservation of the beta cells and the inhibition of inflammation.”
Horticulture organisation Growcom’s table grape industry development officer Anne Larard said the study was an exciting development. “Obviously more research needs to be done in this area, but these are very promising results,” said Larard. “They complement the review that we recently conducted, which showed that the consumption of grape juice demonstrated increased blood anti-oxidant consumption.”
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