Grapes Get a Clean Bill of Health: Sweetโ Treat Doesn’t Equal Dietary Danger
AMSTERDAM – Despite a โrelatively โฃhigh sugar content, grapes are aโฃ heart-healthy additionโ to a balanced โdiet, according to nutritionists andโ recent research. Concerns about theโข fruit’s โคsweetness are often โoutweighed by its fiber, water, and micronutrient profile, leading to slower sugar absorption than processed sweets.
Whileโฃ a 100-gram servingโ of grapes contains approximately 15 grams of sugar – โฃmore than apples or pearsโฃ – experts emphasize that this doesn’t automatically classify them โas unhealthy. “You get those sugars in combination with fiber,โ water and micronutrients,” explains nutritionist Akkerman.โฃ “As โa result, theyโฃ are absorbed slowerโฃ than the โฃfree sugars in soft drinksโ or candy.” A โค150-gram serving,roughly a handful,comfortably fits withinโฃ healthy eating โขguidelines.
Recent research from theโ American Western โฃNew England University (published in 2025) demonstrates subtleโฃ yet positiveโ effects of grape consumption โฃon cardiovascular โขhealth. Akkermanโข corroborates these findings, stating that compoundsโฃ within grapes โ”keep blood vessels flexible and โขprotect against the oxidation ofโฃ LDL cholesterol,” thereby reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases like high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.โ The fruit’s potassiumโค contentโฃ also contributes to healthy blood pressure regulation,โข working in conjunction with sodium balance.
Ultimately, grapes aren’tโค a cure-all, but a valuable component of a varied diet. Akkerman stresses the importance of diversity: “the โeffect is not in one bunch of grapes, but in the mix โof โvegetables, fruitโฃ andโข whole-grain products โขthat you eat every day.”