Eating grapes can reduce the risk of dementia and add five years to your life, research suggests.
We’re often encouraged to eat at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day if we want to keep the doctor away.
However, experts have discovered one particular fruit which could help reduce your chances of developing dementia in later life.
The series of studies, published in the journal Foods, all found that eating grapes can have a positive impact on your health – especially for those who eat high fat Western diets, The Sun reported.
Grapes are known to be rich in chemicals that boost gut bacteria and lower cholesterol.
They also contain high levels of antioxidants which can reduce the risk of many diseases and cancers.
Antioxidants work by keeping your body safe from free radicals in the body, such an inflammation or outside the body such as pollution, UV exposure, and cigarette smoke.
Researchers have discovered that the antioxidants in grapes protect the brain against developing dementia by improving the function of neurons or nerve cells.
Several studies have already found that inflammation in the brain is linked to several forms of dementia.
Another study found that eating grapes can also reduce the risk of fatty liver disease and can add five years to your life.
Fatty liver disease is a common condition caused by the storage of extra fat in the liver.
It’s currently a growing problem across the world, because of unhealthy eating habits.
Although it is rarely fatal, if untreated it can lead to liver failure or liver cancer.
Grapes can also burn up calories by helping to boost your metabolism, the third study discovered.
Researchers from the Western New England University conducted all three studies on mice.
All the mice in the studies were fed high-fat diets typically consumed in western countries, with only half the mice received grape supplements.
Researchers then compared the brain, liver and metabolic health of the mice who were given grape supplements against with mice who were not.
“It adds an entirely new dimension to the old saying ‘you are what you eat’,” says study co-author Dr John Pezzuto, in a statement.