Health Benefits of Grape Seed Extract

Grape seed extract, an antioxidant that helps your brain, liver, kidneys, and immune system, is all the rage – here are just a few of the benefits

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Grape seed extract is a phenomenal natural dietary supplement. Rich in nutrients, grape seed extract is made from pulverizing the seeds of grapes. After removing the seeds from grapes, they are dried and crushed, eventually becoming an extract. This extract is potent with:

Proanthocyanidins
Anthocyanins
Phenolic acids
Flavonoids
Oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes
Gallic acid

These components become a super antioxidant that helps with tissue damage and inflammation, as well as eliminates infection risk and boosts the immune system.

Additional benefits include:

1. Helps the Brain

Several studies have shown that grape seed extract improves brain function. The flavonoids in the extract have been proven to have anti-inflammatory properties. It is believed that the reduction of brain inflammation delays or reduces the chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. These studies have also shown that daily focus, attention, language, and memory had improved after using grape seed extract for just three months.

2. Improves Kidney and Liver Function

Kidney damage is often impossible to overcome and results in painful dialysis or transplant options. Studies have shown, however, that the use of grape seed extract can improve how damaged kidneys function by almost 10 percent. This is very significant for those who have chronic kidney failure.

The same goes for liver function. Due to the inflammatory properties of grape seed extract, the liver function has been shown to improve by as much as 50 percent when the extract has been used for at least three months.

3. Fights Infection

Grape seed extract has been shown to have antibacterial and antifungal benefits.

Some of the bacteria and fungi that the extract has been useful in combating are:

Campylobacter (food poisoning)
E. Coli (food poisoning)
Shiga (food poisoning)
Staphylococcus aureus (antibiotic-resistant strains)
Candida (yeast overgrowth)

4. Combats Cancer

When DNA and cells are altered, cancer is easily formed. However, it has been noted that the intake of antioxidants, such as those in grape seed extract, can potentially reduce the risk of various types of cancer:

Breast
Lung
Gastric
Oral squamous cell (skin cancer)
Liver
Prostate
Pancreas

In addition, the its use can potentially enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy, while diminishing some of the damage caused by chemo treatments.

The Downside

So far, the use of grape seed extract has been found to have many health benefits; however, more research needs to be done to see if there are any adverse effects from its use.

One of the most significant downsides to using grape seed extract is that scientists don’t have reliable statistics on its long-term use in humans and in what quantity it would be the best preventative therapies.

While it is considered safe, and short-term studies have been proven to be successful, there are few long-term studies to show if there are any detrimental side effects.

Grape seed extract lowers blood pressure and can thin your blood, but there haven’t been any long-term studies for those who are on medication for these health problems. More research needs to be done to see if there are contraindicated drugs when combined with the use of grape seed extract.

Disclaimer: Health-based content published by Best Self Media is not intended to be interpreted as medical advice, nor to replace the recommendations or counsel of a medical professional. Rather it is our intent to present valuable perspectives from the experiences or research of our contributors.

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