1.5 Cups of Grapes a Day May Help Combat Age-Related Muscle Loss: Study Shows

A new clinical study from the University of California, Davis, published in the journal Food & Function, has found that eating grapes daily may significantly improve muscle strength in postmenopausal women.

Sarcopenia, a condition characterized by the gradual loss of muscle mass and strength, can begin as early as age 40. Over time, it can reduce mobility, increase the risk of falls, and severely impact quality of life and independence. With limited treatment options currently available, researchers have been exploring nutritional approaches to address this growing health concern.

The study, led by Dr. Gerardo Mackenzie, involved postmenopausal women who were assigned to consume either whole grape powder—equivalent to about 1 ½ cups of fresh grapes daily or a placebo powder that lacked the beneficial compounds found in grapes. At the end of the study period, women in the grape group showed measurable improvements in muscle strength, particularly in hand grip and walking speed.

Researchers also measured levels of irisin, a hormone associated with muscle and bone growth, both before and after the intervention. The group consuming grape powder experienced a 14.4% increase in plasma irisin levels, while those in the placebo group saw a 7.8% decrease. While the differences in irisin levels between the groups did not reach statistical significance, the researchers did find a significant and positive association between changes in grip strength and irisin levels over time.

“These findings indicate that regularly consuming a modest amount of grapes – just 1 ½ cups per day – can help improve muscle strength in postmenopausal women who are at risk for muscle loss as part of aging,” said Mackenzie. “Incorporating grapes into the diet may offer an easy and promising nutritional approach to help mitigate sarcopenia, a condition for which there are no effective treatment options.”

The study highlights grapes as a potential tool in maintaining muscle health, especially in aging populations.

Reference: Alliaceae vegetable consumption and sarcopenia: findings from the TCLSIH cohort study, Xuena Wang, Hao Geng, Jiaoyang Li, Ge Meng, Hongmei Wu, Yeqing Gu, Jian Huang, Junsheng Huo, Bing Zhang, Gangqiang Ding and Kaijun Niu Food Funct., 2025,16, 2084-2095