Muscadine Grapes Health Benefits

Muscadine grapes are scientifically known as Vitis Rotundifolia grapes, which are native to Southeastern United States. Muscadine grapevines can be found in the wild, as well as growing in the backyard of many homes in the South. These grapes are different from the other variety of grapes in a number of ways. The first most noticeable difference is the skin of the grapes. The skin of these grapes is much thicker as compared to the other variety. It is the skin, which gives the muscadine grapes a natural resistance to diseases, fungi and insects.

Most of the antioxidant power of the muscadine grapes is also found in the skin. The skin of the grapes is so thick, that 40% of the weight of the grapes comes from the skin itself. Muscadine grapes have an extra set of chromosomes, which contain genes that allow them to produce a unique balance of phytonutrients, which are absent in other grapes. The third difference is in the amount of antioxidant power they have in comparison with the other grapes. Now that we have seen the difference between the muscadine grapes and the other varieties of grapes, we will now see the health benefits of muscadine grapes.

Health Benefits of Muscadine Grapes

The most important of the muscadine grapes health benefits is amount of antioxidants present in these grapes. Antioxidants have a critical role to play in the defense system of the body, by destroying excess free radicals in the body before they wreak havoc on the body. If a person does not have sufficient amount of antioxidants in the body, the person may be susceptible to free radical damage. The stamina and energy levels of the person may decrease. The radicals can cause a havoc in the immune system of the body and the person may suffer from the effects of aging faster.

The skin of muscadine grapes contains resveratrol, which is produced due to the antifungal properties. It is also found in the seeds of the grapes. Hence, wine made from these grapes can be consumed or dried muscadine grapes can be consumed.

There is an extra pair of chromosomes present in the muscadine grapes, due to which ellagic acid can be found only in muscadine grapes, which is not seen in any other grape. Hence, muscadine grape is also considered as a super grape. There are numerous studies which are underway, that are investigating the role of ellagic acid in cancer prevention. According to some reports, this acid may prove to be useful in chemoprevention, which means to chemically prevent cancer from occurring, growing or metastasizing in the body. There is a lot of interest in chemoprevention, as it may become the best way to fight cancer, as it will stop cancer from growing before it reaches a level which can prove to be problematic to cure.

Some of the research points to the fact that muscadine grapes contain certain organic substances which resist microbial attacks, which helps in keeping the immune system working to its optimum level. Activated immune system keeps the body healthy and reverses any damages caused to the heart and thus restoring heart health, arthritis problem, etc. It also helps in treating autoimmune diseases, which cause inflammation and erosion of joints, that show evidence of pain, stiffness and swelling of the bone joints. It can also be used to treat patients who suffer from similar ailments, that are caused due to rheumatoid arthritis.

To derive all the health benefits, muscadine grapes can be consumed either in the form of wine, juice or vinegar. The wine and vinegar made from muscadine grapes can be stored for years. The compounds present in the grapes, which are beneficial can also be preserved in dried grapes in the form of raisins for a long period of time.