Concord Grape Juice Aids Cognitive Function in Women

This new double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized crossover study, sought to determine whether daily Concord grape juice consumption could provide cognitive benefits and help busy adults with everyday tasks. The research focused on individuals particularly prone to stress: mothers juggling the demands of a career and raising pre-teenagers.

 

Results and Key Takeaways:
For the first time, researchers from the University of Leeds, UK, have shown that the cognitive health effects associated with the Concord grape are not exclusive to older adults and that younger, healthy women may also benefit from drinking 100% juice made from this dark purple berry.

 

Daily Concord grape juice consumption was associated with improvements in certain aspects of memory and driving safety. Additionally, the researchers found that the beneficial effects associated with the Concord grape continued even after participants stopped drinking this juice.

 

Louise Dye, PhD, Professor of Nutrition & Behaviour, and lead researcher told NutritionInsight:
"Dark purple, seeded grapes, like the Concord grape, have more polyphenols (flavonoids) than many table grapes, because these naturally-occurring plant nutrients are concentrated in the seeds as well as in the colorful skin. This might have something to do with the beneficial and enduring effects that we observed on measures of memory and driving performance."

 

Many of the polyphenols in Concord grapes are the same as those found in red wine. This research builds on the nearly 20 years of science that says 100% grape juice made with the Concord grape helps support a healthy heart – likely because of the flavonoids found naturally in the grape’s skin and seeds.