One cancer that women fear greatly and are always on the look out for is breast cancer. So common is this form of the disease that it has been estimated that one American woman is diagnosed with it every three minutes.
There are several factors for the possibility of contracting it, the most common being heredity and one's age. Diet choices and one's lifestyle are put down as being other common causes for it. Scientists are therefore, always on the look out for preventive and curative measures for this often fatal disease. Now they tell us there is one more choice that may offer protection against it- something that should prove popular with most- and that is a glass of purple Concord grape juice.
In a recent study, the results of which were published in the present Journal of Medicinal Foods, the natural elements in the juice were found to be capable of protecting healthy human breast cells from any DNA damage. As part of their experiment they exposed breast cells to an environmental carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in a test tube.
Normally, this carcinogen is capable of and will set off a series of events that would eventually result in cancer of the breast. What the scientists discovered was that with the inclusion of Concord grape juice in the diet the connection between the carcinogen and the DNA of the healthy cells was blocked.
Lead researcher at the University of Illinois and nutrition professor, Dr. Keith Singletary remarked, "The purple grape compounds demonstrated the capacity to inhibit DNA adduct formation as well as to increase the activity of enzymes that metabolize and detoxify carcinogens, and suppress potentially cancer-causing oxidative stress."
He continued that this suggests that anthocyanins present in Concord grape juice, as well as some other fruits and juices, deserved further study for their breast cancer chemopreventive potential.
In this, the latest research the suggestion that Concord grape juice could be used to maintain breast health is of great significance. It implies that it can achieve this through the suppression of oxidative pressure and through hindering DNA damage to cells which would otherwise result in the onset of cancer. It could also help to slow down the further advance of breast cancer by slowing down the proliferation of cancer cells.
Diets that are high in natural antioxidants have been known to have reduced certain types of cancers. Welch's hundred percent Grape juice made from Concord grapes is noticeably high in anthocyanins, that are not only responsible for the deep purple color of the grapes but are powerful natural antioxidants.
It is now an accepted fact that a glass of red wine can be good for the heart. Like the wine, Concord grape juice can be good for it, too. Due to the fact that many women worry about consuming alcohol and its possible effect on breast cancer, they may have cause for cheer as they consider that drinking 100 percent grape juice made from Concord grapes can help one's heart as well as one's breast health.
Welch Foods Inc has devoted its services to supporting independent research examining the role of its grapes juice in a healthy lifestyle. As part of this it provides the Concord grape juice compounds necessary for the study.
