According to University of Illinois, UIUC, Department of Food Science & Human Nutrition, FSHN, researchers report that drinking concord grape juice stops the formation of breast cancer tumors and reduces DNA damage to mammary glands.

"These studies indicate that specific constituents or combinations of phytochemicals in concord grape juice can block the initiation stage of tumor formation," stated Dr. Keith Singletary, Ph.D, FSHN professor. "In a related previous study, we saw a similar effect in what we call the promotion stage, a later stage in the development of cancer.  Taken together, the results are quite interesting and certainly merit additional study."

It is common knowledge that including fruits and vegetables in your daily diet is healthy for you, and that it can help in reducing the risk for cancers. Researchers have been looking specifically to plant substances called polyphenols. Polyphenols help protect against cancer by suppressing oxidative stress, inhibiting DNA damage to human cells, and slowing down the multiplication of cancer cells.  These compounds include anthocyanin pigments, which give fruits and vegetables their blue and purple colors. One food source that is rich in anthocyanins, and related compounds called proanthocyanidins, is concord grapes.

According to the USDA proanthocyanidin database, purple grape juice from concord grapes is higher in proanthocyanidins, on a per serving basis, than any other beverage tested, including red wine and cranberry juice cocktail. In addition, the total antioxidant capacity of concord grape juice is among the highest of all foods.