Evidence suggests that fruits and vegetables have beneficial health effects. The exact reason for this is not known, but studies suggest that the polyphenols contained within fruits and vegetables may have a number of beneficial health effects. One line of evidence suggests that polyphenols are able to reduce systemic inflammation, perhaps because of their antioxidant effects, or perhaps because of their gene regulatory functions. These anti-inflammatory effect have been suggested to play a significant role in the general health effects of fruits and vegetables. In particular, neurodegeneration is significantly associated with an inflammatory component. By providing anti-inflammatory effects fruits and vegetables may be able to improve cognitive function through a protective effect on neuronal activity. Animal studies for example suggest that polyphenols are beneficial at modulating the cellular function of rodents, through intracellular and vascular mechanisms, and this may explain the beneficial cognitive effects.
Grape juice is rich in polyphenols. The polyphenols in grapes are perhaps the reason for the health benefits of red wine. Research suggests that consumption of red wine and grape juice provides cognitive benefits. For example, in one study1, the cognitive effects of concord grape juice was tested following 12 weeks of consumption. The results showed that in healthy women aged 40 to 50 years, consumption of 355 mL concord grape juice per day (providing 777 mg polyphenols per day) caused significant improvements in immediate spatial memory and driving performance in a driving simulator, when compared to a placebo. These results suggest that there are real and tangible benefits to long term consumption of concord grape juice, including to complex tasks such as driving. Evidence from animal studies suggests that this may be due to the polyphenols contained within the grape juice, particularly the flavonoid group of nutrient which includes proanthocyanidins and anthocyanins.
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