Is grape seed really so god?

Grape seed was a "waste" for wine producers at first, not only couldn't sell money, but also had to spend it to get rid of it. So the wine industry hopes to obtain profit from it and has studied grape seeds. After compositional analysis, it was found to contain large amounts of vitamin E, flavonoids, linoleic acid, and a group of ingredients called "oligomeric procyanidins complexes (OPCs)". In addition to the flat linoleic acid qualification, all of these have very good antioxidant properties. The body produces some free radicals due to oxidation, and free radicals can attack cell membranes and DNA. It is generally believed that "oxidative stress" is related to the aging and the occurrence of various diseases. Although it turned a few corners, "antioxidation" seems to be able to catch up with aging and disease. As a result, various "antioxidant" health products came into being.

Therefore, in various health products, grape seed extract is a very appealing one. The functions in the advertisement range from lipid-lowering, cholesterol-lowering, anti-cancer to beauty, anti-aging, etc., and almost all kinds of fashionable features are attached to it. In addition to health products, cosmetics also like to launch a variety of grape seed anti-oxidation series of skin care products, regardless of how the ad is said to be a god, grape seeds really have such a big effect?

It is difficult to swallow directly by eating grape seeds. Even if swallowed, most of them pass through the intestines, and the "active ingredient" is hardly absorbed by the body. So, the active ingredient was extracted and the grape seed extract capsule was born. Since grape seed extract has so many antioxidants, whether or not the human body has a health care function has attracted many scientists' attention. The experiment found that When people eat grape seed extract, the antioxidant content in the blood increases significantly, which means that the antioxidants in grape seed extract can indeed be absorbed by the body.

Grape seed extract contains a large amount of flavonoids and other antioxidants, which are interpreted to "protect the heart." However, this is basically a speculation, so far there is no experimental evidence.

Of course, in addition to flavonoids, there are other antioxidants in grape seed extract. Does the "whole" extract protect the heart? There have been some very preliminary animal experiments that “seem to” have a role in lowering cholesterol and protecting blood vessels. However, these experiments are too preliminary, and they can only be "without negating this possibility" and cannot be used as evidence at all. Don't be really good until there is any further reliable human experimentation.

Anti-cancer nature is the most attractive. In some in vitro cell experiments, grape seed extract or OPCs in it exhibited better inhibition of certain types of cancer cells. This is the basis for advertisers to declare "anti-cancer". It should be noted that there is still a long way to go between "in vitro experiments can inhibit cancer cells" and "eating to fight cancer." On the one hand, it is only effective for certain cancer cells. On the other hand, in vitro cell experiments are completely different from those in vivo. In vitro cell experiments can only be used as a screening tool. "Effective" simply means that it has not been eliminated and further research can be conducted. Each pharmaceutical company and cancer research institution discovers a large number of substances that are "effective in vitro cell experiments." More and more studies have been carried out, and more and more people have been eliminated. Finally, it can be proved through clinical trials that it is "effectively effective." It is extremely rare. A type of function that health care products like to declare is "adjuvant treatment." In 2006, a British scholar published a phase II clinical study of grape seed extract assisted cancer patients. 66 volunteers who had undergone breast cancer radiotherapy early in life and had moderate or obvious breast induration were randomly divided into two groups. A group of 44 people took grape seed OPCs three times a day for 100 mg. Another group of 22 received placebo. After 12 months of review, the breast induration and appearance of the breast were examined, and the volunteers themselves described breast hardness and pain. The result is: There is no difference between the two groups.

Can be regarded as "probably effective", probably to alleviate "chronic venous insufficiency" and edema. The former is where blood collects in the legs, causing pain, swelling, and fatigue. The latter may be related to injuries, surgery or sedentary. Some studies have shown that taking grape seed extract may have a certain degree of relief from these symptoms.

In addition, all sorts of functions such as beauty, skin care, and anti-aging are "good wishes" and no scientific evidence supports them.

The composition of grape seed extract is complex and has not been systematically studied for safety. Can only say, "believe" that it is safe for most people - an 8-week clinical trial found no harm, can be counted as supporting this conclusion. However, taking into account that such research is still insufficient, from the point of view of caution and security, pregnant women, mothers and children, or do not take good.