Health Q&A: Do Table Grapes Have Resveratrol?

Jacob Gaffney
Posted: June 28, 2007

Q: I was wondering if one gets the same benefits of resveratrol by eating red grapes as from drinking red wine? If so, how many red grapes would one need to eat to get the comparable amounts in a glass of red wine?--Ernest

A: According to the Linus Pauling Institute, the micronutrient research center at Oregon state University, one cup of red table grapes provides between 0.24 and 1.25 milligrams of resveratrol, similar to the amount of the compound in a 5 ounce glass of red wine, which provides between 0.30 and 1.07 mg of resveratrol. However, some question whether or not drinking wine and eating grapes are effective ways to consume resveratrol. David Sinclair, who coauthored a study on the therapeutic potential of resveratrol, published in the June 2006 issue of Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, says, "It has been estimated from animal studies you would have to drink 1,000 bottles of wine to have a therapeutic effect, i.e., to treat a disease such as diabetes." He adds, "that said, perhaps small doses over decades might have a long-term health benefit."

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