Studies have shown that regular consumption of grapes produces a unique gene expression pattern that reduces fatty liver and extends lifespan in mice on a high-fat Western diet.
A comprehensive study recently published in the journal foodreported that the long-term addition of grapes to the diet of mice produced a unique gene expression pattern, reduced fatty liver and extended lifespan in animals consuming a high-fat Western-style diet. The research team was led by Dr. John Pezuto of Western New England University.
Pezzuto, author of more than 600 papers in the scientific literature, said these results were particularly surprising. We all start out as fetuses and become adults by eating food, so it’s obviously true. But these studies add a whole new dimension to that old saying. Not only is it partially converted, it actually alters our gene expression, as studies on grapes in our diet have shown. ”
What is the effect of this gene expression change? Fatty liver is prevented or delayed as shown in this paper. Fatty liver is a condition that affects approximately 25% of the world’s population and can eventually lead to detrimental effects such as liver cancer. Genes involved in the development of fatty liver were altered in a beneficial manner by ingesting grapes. This study was recently published in the journal by a collaborative team led by Dr. Jeffrey Idle. food and function.
Grape research adds a whole new dimension to the saying, “You are what you eat.”
In addition to genes associated with fatty liver, the study found that a diet supplemented with grapes increased levels of antioxidant genes. I’m thinking about taking nutritional supplements, but the reality is that getting enough antioxidants can’t really make a big difference. Varying expression levels can result in catalytic reactions that can make a real difference.”
Another notable effect shown in this study is the ability of grapes to extend the lifespan of mice fed a high-fat Western diet.A high-fat Western diet is linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, autoimmune disease, cancer, and[{” attribute=””>Alzheimer’s disease. Adding grapes to the diet, which did not affect the rate of consumption or body weight, delayed natural death. Although translating years of lifespan from a mouse to a human is not an exact science, Pezzuto notes that his best estimate is the change observed in the study would correspond to an additional 4-5 years in the life of a human.
Precisely how all of this relates to humans remains to be seen, but it is clear that adding grapes to the diet changes gene expression in more than just the liver. In studies recently published in the journal Antioxidants by Pezzuto and his team of researchers, it was found that grape consumption alters gene expression in the brain. At the same time, grape consumption had positive effects on behavior and cognition that were impaired by a high-fat diet, suggesting that the alteration of gene expression was what produced this beneficial response. More studies are needed, but it is notable that a team led by Silverman at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) reported that the daily administration of grapes had a protective effect on brain metabolism. This new research indicates that this is due to alteration of gene expression.
References:
“Consumption of Grapes Modulates Gene Expression, Reduces Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, and Extends Longevity in Female C57BL/6J Mice Provided with a High-Fat Western-Pattern Diet” by Asim Dave, Eun-Jung Park, Avinash Kumar, Falguni Parande, Diren Beyoğlu, Jeffrey R. Idle and John M. Pezzuto, 5 July 2022, Foods.
DOI: 10.3390/foods11131984
” Addition of grapes to both a standard and a high-fat Western pattern diet modifies hepatic and urinary metabolite profiles in the mouse” by Diren Beyoğlu, Eun-Jung Park, Adolfo Quiñones-Lombraña, Asim Dave, Falguni Parande, John M. Pezzuto and Jeffrey R. Idle, 20 July 2022, Food & Function.
DOI: 10.1039/D2FO00961G
“Effect of Dietary Grapes on Female C57BL6/J Mice Consuming a High-Fat Diet: Behavioral and Genetic Changes” by Falguni Parande, Asim Dave, Eun-Jung Park, Christopher McAllister and John M. Pezzuto, 18 February 2022, Antioxidants.
DOI: 10.3390/antiox11020414
The grapes used in these studies were provided by the California Table Grape Commission, who partially supported the work as well. Kathleen Nave, president of the commission, noted that the grape growers of California are proud to have supported grape research at over 70 institutions throughout the US and the world for over 20 years. She stated that “Grape growers in California have had the privilege of supporting scores of projects over the years. Some studies have shown positive effects on health, and others have not been as promising. The results reported by John Pezzuto and his team are exciting and rewarding on many levels. The potential for improvements in human health is significant as is the strength of the data which logically supports the need for follow-up work in human clinical trials. All of this is rewarding to the growers who have funded research year after year with the sole objective of following the science and learning what we could from high caliber peer-reviewed research. Studies like the ones reported here are not only rewarding to grape growers and of interest to the scientific community, but are of value to everyone who wants to optimize their health and understands that what we eat matters. We can’t ask for more than that.”
