Clinical trials have already shown that eating grapes increases the skin’s resistance to UV radiation in approximately 30% to 50% of people. New research is now being published ACS Nutrition The benefits of grapes for skin health may be even more widespread, suggesting that almost everyone can be affected in some way.
In this study, volunteers consumed the equivalent of three servings of whole grapes every day for two weeks. The researchers then analyzed gene expression in the participants’ skin before and after consuming the grapes, with and without exposure to low doses of UV light.
Grapes altered skin gene activity
Scientists have discovered that there are large differences in gene expression between individuals and within the same individual over time. Each participant began the study with a unique pattern of gene activity in their skin.
Those patterns changed after eating the grapes and also after exposure to ultraviolet light. Further changes appeared when grape consumption was combined with UV exposure. Although each participant responded differently, the researchers observed that grape consumption consistently changed gene expression in all subjects.
Strengthening skin defense and reducing oxidative stress
After examining the data, researchers identified common biological effects associated with grape consumption. This change in gene activity indicated an increase in keratinization and keratinization, a process that helps form the skin’s outer protective barrier against environmental damage.
The researchers also measured levels of malondialdehyde, a marker of oxidative stress, after exposing the skin to low doses of UV light. Participants who consumed grapes had lower levels of this marker, suggesting reduced oxidative stress in their skin.
Researchers call grapes a ‘superfood’
“We are now confident that grapes act as a superfood and mediate nutritional genomic responses in humans,” said Dr. John Pezzuto, professor and chair of the Department of Health Sciences at Western New England University’s College of Pharmacy. “We observed this in the body’s largest organ, the skin. Changes in gene expression indicated improved skin health. But beyond the skin, grape consumption almost certainly affects gene expression in other somatic tissues of the body, such as the liver, muscles, kidneys, and even the brain. It’s very exciting that we’re finally embracing functional genomics and working in a post-genomics era where we can actually visualize complex matrices that show nutrient-genomic responses. ”
The study was conducted by scientists at Western New England University in Springfield, Massachusetts, and collaborators at Oregon State University in Corvallis, Oregon. Funding for this research was provided by the California Table Grape Commission.
