A study has linked potential health benefits to the consumption of red wine made from native grapes.
The research, conducted by Oregon State University and supported by UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, suggests that consuming red wine or grape juice made from muscadines in moderation could potentially improve the complications associated with obesity. The results were published in the January issue of the Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry.
Muscadine grapes, native to the southeastern U.S., are different from the grapes used in French wines, said Liwei Gu, a food science and human nutrition associate professor.
“If you think chardonnay or merlot is the horse, the muscadine grape is the donkey,” Gu said.
Muscadine grapes are known to grow in hot, humid climates, which concentrates antioxidants in the fruit, Gu said. According to the findings, they have proven to have valuable anti-inflammatory abilities, but as of now, they cannot be directly linked to weight loss.
Maurice Marshall, a UF food science and human nutrition professor, has extensively studied the seeds and skins of muscadine grapes to analyze their antioxidant levels.
According to his research, muscadine grapeseed oil is responsible for preventing fat accumulation in human cells.
“(Muscadine grapes) are known to inhibit oxygen reactions,” Marshall said. “It wouldn’t surprise me to find that they can affect other metabolisms.”
[A version of this story ran on page 9 on 2/23/2015 under the headline “Wine potentially good for health"]
Grapes of Wrath - A Gainesville resident stomps grapes Saturday at Grape Stompin’, a wine-tasting and grape-stomping event. Paulk Vineyards, in Wray, Ga., donated one ton of muscadine grapes, said Gabrielle Fellenz, executive assistant to the director of Gainesville’s Pledge 5 Foundation.
