What are the Benefits of Incorporating Grape Seed Extract Into a Diet?

January 23, 2021

Grape seed extract is a powerful, all-natural herbal supplement that contains many antioxidants able to help reduce inflammation, tissue damage, oxidative stress, and related health problems. Learn what grape seed extract is and how you can use it to protect yourself from disease and reduce aging progression and impacts. As a result, you could find yourself with a healthier brain, heart, kidney, liver, and skin.

 

Benefits of Grape Seeds

Grape seeds are a rich source of potent antioxidants helpful in preventing disease and slowing and reducing aging signs. Among the antioxidants, grape seeds and, therefore, grape seed extract (GSE) contains anthocyanins, flavonoids, oligomeric proanthocyanidin complexes (OPCs), and phenolic acids.

Europeans have been using the seeds and leaves and sap of grapes as a heart health supplement and traditional treatment for a wide variety of health conditions for thousands of years.

 Among the benefits associated with grape seeds include helping to:

• Heal wounds faster and more completely
• Impede infection
• Improve kidney performance
• Increase blood circulation
• Lower risk of cancer
• Prevent inflammation in the brain
• Protect the liver
• Raise collagen levels and increase bone health and strength
• Reduce oxidative stress and related cellular damage
• Restore blood pressure levels to within more normal ranges

Grape seeds don't taste very palatable, however. Hence, the innovation of grape seed extract.

 

What is Grape Seed Extract

Just as it sounds, grape seed extract is the extract of the active ingredients in grape seeds. It is produced by extracting the seeds from grapes and drying them, then pulverizing them into a powder. That powder is then placed into capsules for easy dosing, ingestion, and digestion.

 

Where to Buy Grape Seed Extract

One of the purest sources of grape seed extract you'll find is produced by VigorSource and sold by Farlong Pharmaceutical. Each two-capsule dose of Grape Seed Extract Plus contains 500 mg of pure grape seed extract along with 200 mg each of red wine extract and pine bark extract for extra antioxidant benefits.

Studies on grape seed extract have utilized daily doses of between 100 and 300 mg as a point of comparison.

Grape seed extract is generally considered safe and has no serious side effects. Still, people with high blood pressure, a bleeding disorder, an allergy to grapes, or who are currently using other medications, especially blood thinners, particularly heart health medications or cancer treatments or NSAID painkillers, should consult with a doctor before using grape seed extract. Additionally, grape seed extract is not advised for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding or for children.