Sunday, April 06, 2008
Research
Author : Anne Roberts
Purple grape juice is full of anti-oxidants and could be a better way to start off the day than a glass of orange juice, according to a new study. The details of the study are published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry.
Researchers at the Human Nutrition group at Glasgow University examined the benefits of various fruit juices and tabulated the amount of anti-oxidants contained in them. The presence of other chemicals was also analyzed.
Grape, apple and cranberry juices were found to contain the highest amount of beneficial chemicals. Purple grape juice made with Concord grapes was found to contain high amounts of beneficial chemicals called polyphenols. These chemicals are antioxidants that act against the free radicals in the body. They are also thought of as being beneficial in averting chronic diseases.
"Supplementing a healthy diet with a regular intake of a variety of fruit juices such as purple grape juice, grapefruit juice, cloudy apple juice and cranberry juice, will, without major dietary changes, increase the consumer's intake of phenolic antioxidants," said lead researcher Alan Crozier, Professor of Plant Biochemistry and Human Nutrition.
These new findings come close on the heels of other findings by US researchers which said that regular consumption of fruit juices can avert Alzheimer's disease.
The current research focused on finding out the benefits contained in a variety of fruit juices. Dr Crozier said that not all fruit juices contain the same chemicals, "The message is to mix these juices during the week. That way you will get all the compounds with anti-oxidant activity. If you drink only one juice you risk missing out on the compounds in the others," he observed.
The researchers examined the juices of other fruits including pomegranate, cloudy apple, cranberry, clear apple, grapefruit, orange, pineapple, tomato, red grape and white grape.
The National Grape Co-operative funded this research.