Grapes: Nutrition Facts & Potential Health Benefits

Grapes are a common fruit and come in a variety of colors and flavors, with green, red, purple, and black being the most popular.

While grapes have a relatively low content of vitamins and minerals, they are a rich source of polyphenols such as flavan-3-ols, which have spurred scientific research on their potential health effects.

Notably, some of this research suggests that grapes are associated with a lower risk of diabetes and may improve several markers of heart health. But how strong is the evidence for this?

This article provides an evidence-based deep dive into recent research on grapes, their potential benefits, and their nutritional profile.

What are the Key Nutrients in Grapes?

Grapes have a high water content of approximately 80% and a moderate amount of sugar. Aside from copper, they are not a notable source of vitamins and minerals.

Here is the basic nutritional profile of grapes per 151-gram cup serving, including the vitamins and minerals present in the highest amounts:

• Calories: 104 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 27.3g
• Sugars: 23.4g
• Fiber: 1.36g
• Fat: 0.24g
• Protein: 1.09g
• Copper: 21% of the Daily Value
• Vitamin K: 18% DV
• Thiamin (B1): 9% DV
• Riboflavin (B2): 8% DV
• Vitamin B6: 8% DV

Source: USDA – Grapes, red or green, raw

With more than 20% of the Daily Value per cup, grapes are high in copper.

Polyphenols in Grapes

Perhaps more interesting than the nutrients in grapes is their polyphenol content.

You may not know that grapes are botanically berries, and like raspberries, blackberries, and other berries, they contain notable levels of polyphenols.

According to data on black grapes from Phenol Explorer, they contain a substantial amount of flavonoid polyphenols, with particularly notable levels of anthocyanins and flavanols.

You may have heard these compounds referred to as “antioxidants,” which is an oversimplification. This is because not all antioxidants are polyphenols, and not all polyphenols have an antioxidant effect.

However, research has shown that anthocyanins and flavanols extracted from grapes have anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Partly for this reason, a substantial number of studies have investigated the potential health effects of grapes.

Scientific Research on the Potential Benefits of Grapes

We’ll now look into what current evidence shows on the potential benefits and health effects of grapes. This research has covered areas including heart health, blood sugar levels, and type 2 diabetes risk.

Can Grapes Improve Heart Health?

Several large systematic reviews have investigated the impact of eating grapes on traditional markers of cardiovascular risk:

• Flavan-3-ols and blood pressure: A 2025 systematic review found that foods rich in flavan-3-ols, which are found in grapes, can lower blood pressure. These blood pressure-lowering effects were more substantial in participants with high blood pressure. However, this finding was based on grape extract rather than whole grapes.
• Whole grape products and blood pressure: A 2023 systematic review of 30 randomized controlled trials examined the effect of whole grape products on blood pressure. It found that consuming whole grape products could slightly reduce systolic blood pressure, but not diastolic blood pressure. However, the authors considered this to be “low certainty” evidence.
• Grape intake is associated with lower blood pressure: A 2023 systematic review of eighteen observational studies found an association between higher grape intake and a reduced risk of high blood pressure. High compared to low intake was associated with a 9% reduced risk.

While this research is mixed, the observational review found that participants who consumed higher amounts of grapes had a lower risk of high blood pressure.

This appears more promising because it is supported by controlled trials showing slight reductions in systolic blood pressure as well as grape extracts showing blood pressure-lowering effects.

Although some of the evidence is of low certainty, it is possible that grapes may help support normal blood pressure levels. Further research is necessary to confirm this.

Grapes and Blood Sugar Levels

There is some interesting research on grapes and how they might influence blood sugar levels.

For example, a systematic review and meta-analysis analyzed twenty-nine clinical trials on the blood sugar response to grapes.

This review found that eating grapes or supplementing with grape products improved insulin resistance, which refers to how effectively the body’s cells respond to insulin to lower blood sugar levels when they rise. There was a lack of meaningful effect on fasting or long-term blood sugar levels.

Additionally, an earlier systematic review of twenty-three observational studies found an association between higher grape intake and a slightly lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

The Glycemic Index of Grapes

Despite having a moderate to high sugar content for a fruit (18g per 100g), grapes have a low-to-moderate glycemic index (GI) of approximately 50.

This means that grapes digest relatively slowly and don’t tend to cause large, sudden spikes in blood sugar. By comparison, pure glucose has a GI of 100, which signifies a more rapid increase in blood sugar levels.

The Resveratrol Content of Grapes

You may have heard anti-aging claims about resveratrol, which is a type of polyphenol found in grapes and red wine.

However, there is a lot of important context to understand about resveratrol.

Firstly, there have been some positive findings from recent research into resveratrol, which have included:

• Lower inflammation: A 2024 systematic review noted that consistent evidence finds resveratrol lowers markers of inflammation in human clinical trials.
• Blood sugar regulation: A 2022 systematic review and analysis of thirty clinical trials found that resveratrol supplementation had several positive effects related to diabetes. Among these, it improved insulin resistance and slightly reduced fasting blood sugar in participants with diabetes.

However, much of the evidence is limited, and many of these studies were small, making it difficult to draw strong conclusions.

An even more important consideration when it comes to grapes is how much they actually contain.

Do Grapes Lower Inflammation?

While inflammation is a normal part of how the body works, chronic long-term inflammation can raise the risk of various chronic diseases.

Scientific research on grapes has also looked into whether they can lower markers of inflammation, with mixed findings:

• May lower CRP: A systematic review of twenty-four randomized controlled trials found that grapes and grape products may slightly lower C-reactive protein (CRP), a major marker of inflammation. However, it had no effect on other inflammatory markers like interleukin-6.
• No impact on inflammatory markers: An earlier systematic review of clinical trials found that grape polyphenols had no significant effect on markers of inflammation.

Based on these mixed and uncertain findings, current evidence does not support strong claims about grape intake and inflammation.

Can Grapes Help With Weight Loss?

Some people may wonder if grapes can help support weight loss.

Several studies have actually looked into this, but their findings don’t support grape intake for weight management.

Notably, a 2025 systematic review of randomized controlled trials found that grapes or grape products had no significant effects on:

• Waist circumference
• Body fat
• Body weight

While a very small reduction in body mass index (BMI) was observed, the authors stated that the overall quality of the studies was low, and the magnitude of the decrease was trivial.

In short, a healthy, energy-restricted diet that includes (or doesn’t include) grapes may help with weight management. However, the existing evidence doesn’t support grapes having any significant impacts on body composition.

Do Grapes Have Any Downsides?

While most people tolerate grapes well, there are a few potential drawbacks worth consideration.

Grape Allergies are Rare

Firstly, grape allergies are rare but not unheard of, and case reports of severe allergic reactions do exist.

However, such reports are very uncommon, and most people can tolerate grapes without issue.

That said, if you have any concerns about a potential allergy or experience symptoms consistent with an allergy, please consult with your healthcare provider.

Relatively Low in Vitamin C

While the low vitamin C content of grapes isn’t necessarily a downside, many people consume fruit presuming it to provide vitamin C.

However, grapes have relatively low vitamin C levels compared to most other fruits, with a cup serving providing 4.83 mg. This is equivalent to only 5% of the Daily Value for vitamin C.

Full Nutrition Facts

For anyone still wanting to learn more about grapes, you can find out their complete nutritional profile in the tables below.

The tables show the calorie, macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral content for grapes per 100g and per 151-gram cup. It incorporates USDA data and our own calculations for Percent Daily Values (% DV).

Source: USDA – Grapes, red or green, raw

Calories and Macronutrients

Nutrient	Per 100g (% DV)	Per 151g cup (% DV)
Calories	69 kcal	104 kcal
Carbohydrates	18.1g (7%)	27.3g (10%)
Fiber	0.9g (3%)	1.36g (5%)
Sugars	15.5g	23.4g
Fat	0.16g (<1%)	0.24g (<1%)
Saturated fat	0.05g (<1%)	0.08g (<1%)
Monounsaturated fat	<0.01g	0.01g
Polyunsaturated fat	0.05g	0.07g
Omega-3	0.01g	0.02g
Omega-6	0.04g	0.06g
Cholesterol	0 mg (0%)	0 mg (0%)
Protein	0.72g (1%)	1.09g (2%)

Vitamins

Vitamin	Per 100g (% DV)	Per 151g cup (% DV)
Vitamin A (RAE)	3 mcg (<1%)	4.53 mcg (5%)
Vitamin C	3.2 mg (4%)	4.83 mg (5%)
Vitamin D	0 mcg (0%)	0 mcg (0%)
Vitamin E	0.19 mg (1%)	0.29 mg (2%)
Vitamin K	14.6 mcg (12%)	22 mcg (18%)
Thiamin (B1)	0.07 mg (6%)	0.10 mg (8%)
Riboflavin (B2)	0.07 mg (5%)	0.11 mg (9%)
Niacin (B3)	0.19 mg (1%)	0.28 mg (2%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)	0.05 mg (1%)	0.08 mg (2%)
Vitamin B6	0.09 mg (5%)	0.13 mg (8%)
Folate (B9)	2 mcg (<1%)	3.02 mcg (1%)
Vitamin B12	0 mcg (0%)	0 mcg (0%)
Choline	5.6 mg (1%)	8.46 mg (2%)

Minerals

Mineral	Per 100g (% DV)	Per 151g cup serving (% DV)
Calcium	10 mg (1%)	15.1 mg (1%)
Iron	0.36 mg (2%)	0.54 mg (3%)
Magnesium	7 mg (2%)	10.6 mg (3%)
Phosphorus	20 mg (2%)	30.2 mg (2%)
Potassium	191 mg (4%)	288 mg (6%)
Sodium	2 mg (<1%)	3.02 mg (<1%)
Zinc	0.07 mg (1%)	0.11 mg (1%)
Copper	0.13 mg (14%)	0.19 mg (21%)
Manganese	0.07 mg (3%)	0.11 mg (5%)
Selenium	0.1 mcg (<1%)	0.15 mcg (<1%)

Are Grapes a Healthy Choice?

Overall, grapes are a popular fruit choice that offer a modest amount of several vitamins and minerals. However, they are nutritionally more interesting for their polyphenol content, which includes compounds like anthocyanins and resveratrol.

Research suggests that grapes may have some beneficial effects on blood pressure and insulin resistance. Additionally, observational research has linked grape consumption with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.

However, much of this evidence is mixed and the effect sizes are relatively small.

Overall, grapes are likely a healthy addition to the average diet, but their potential benefits shouldn’t be overstated.

References