Seven facts: What happens to your body when you eat grape seeds, too

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Grapes are a healthy and refreshing snack between meals. But for many people, the joy of snacking is marred by the many tiny seeds they contain. However, this is unjustified because they have an active ingredient that makes the skin radiant and the hair shiny and strengthens the immune system. Which plant substance is hidden behind it? You can find out here.

To protect our health, it is essential to consume foods with antioxidants. This is because they protect us from disease by scavenging dangerous free radicals, thus protecting cells. Grape seeds contain so-called oligomeric proanthocyanidins, – OPC for short. These are plant compounds that have antioxidant effects on the human body.

antioxidant plant compounds soothe the skin and reduce wrinkles. Because in the course of life, the body’s collagen or elastin loses its stability, wrinkles appear on the face, for example. For the body to produce such proteins, it needs healthy tissue and skin cells. This is precisely where OPC plays a role because it triggers a protective mechanism for the affected proteins and vessels in the body. This slows down the visible aging process of the skin. The plant substances are also beneficial for wound healing or skin diseases such as neurodermatitis, as they render bacteria harmless and encourage damaged blood vessels to regenerate quickly. In addition, they are said to help varicose veins or edema to subside more rapidly.

OPC is not only good for the skin but also the hair. This not only works for humans; animals also benefit from the active plant substances. Those who consume OPC strengthen their hair structure and help the cells multiply.
Grape seeds can also help promote vision. Age-related vision loss can be prevented because antioxidants protect against free radical damage and strengthen collagen, which is also essential for the eyes.
Free radicals, however, attack the hair, skin, and eyes and are involved in the development of many widespread health problems, such as diabetes, digestive issues, or high blood pressure. The latter, in particular, can develop if the blood vessels, and thus the fibre proteins, have been damaged by free radicals and, therefore, lose elasticity and stability. Finally, grape seeds help protect the fibrous proteins, maintain the blood vessel walls, and thus keep the blood vessels free of deposits, reducing the risk of cardiovascular problems.
Menstruating individuals, in particular, should take OPC. Although the field is still largely unexplored, researchers have found that OPC can reduce PMS symptoms, i.e., symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. The study showed that a large proportion (60 percent) of 156 women who took 200 mg of OPC daily for four months from the 14th to the 28th day of their menstrual cycle experienced relief from their symptoms after just two months. After four months, the figure was as high as 80 percent.
Grape seed extract could also be used as a helpful anti-histamine without side effects and, in this way, alleviate allergic reactions. According to a study on asthmatic mice, the activation of certain pro-inflammatory enzymes, which in active form lead to histamine release and thus allergic symptoms, should be inhibited by OPC.
In addition, studies have shown that OPC and the other active ingredients in grape seed extracts immediately become protective once in the brain, protecting the nerves and brain tissue from oxidative attack. These results may include improved mental alertness and a lower risk of dementia and stroke.