You might have heard about the health benefits of resveratrol. It has been in the news for the past couple of years. Resveratrol comes from the skin of grapes and has been touted as an amazing cholesterol-buster and antioxidant.
It’s not surprising, then, that researchers at Colorado State University just completed a new study examining the health benefits of grape seed extract and resveratrol together.
The U.S. researchers found that grape seed extract could inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells in the laboratory. Colon cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women.
It seems that grape seed extract starts something called “apoptosis.” Apoptosis is a process in which cells are programmed to die. Unlike cell death due to injury, for example, apoptosis is a beneficial process. When the fetus is growing in the womb, apoptosis causes cell death in the fingers and toes, so that they can separate into individual digits. There are many, many other examples of beneficial cell death.
In this particular study, apoptosis appeared to kill off colon cancer cells before they could divide and multiply. In addition, grape seed extract and resveratrol together seemed to have an even more potent effect when it came to killing off the cancer cells. Researchers hope that this combined attack might work through different stages of colon cancer tumor growth and, in particular, that it will stop tumor growth at very early stages of the disease.
You can boost your resistance to disease simply by adding grapes to your diet. Grapes are rich in something called “anthocyanins.” Anthocyanins have strong antioxidant properties and have shown anti-tumor effects in previous clinical studies.
Try adding grape products, including grape juice and grape wine, to your weekly diet. Many people find they can have a glass of red wine with dinner and benefit from the resveratrol without having to worry about any side effects the alcohol may cause.
Grape seed extract can be found at natural pharmacies and at your local health food store.