Grape Seed Oil Health Benefits, Properties, and Uses

Grapes are a vine fruit commonly used for their health benefits. They’re also used to make wine. The grape seeds are a byproduct of the winemaking process.¹ The oil is derived from the seeds and used in cooking, often as a substitute for vegetable oils.² The whole grape fruit has many health benefits, including in helping with poor circulation and with eye stress.¹ Grapes are also said to help in preventing cardiovascular diseases, constipation, swelling, cancer, and macular degeneration.¹ Substituting grape seed oil in your cooking can help you reap some of these medicinal benefits.

Grape Seed Oil Uses and Health Benefits

Grape seed oil gets a bad reputation due to its high fat content. Each tablespoon of grape seed oil contains 120 calories and 14 grams of fat.² However, it’s made up of what are considered “good” fats that are recommended over others.³ The oil’s fat content is 70 percent polyunsaturated fat, 16 percent monounsaturated fat, and only 10 percent saturated fat.² Getting more polyunsaturated fat in your diet improves blood cholesterol levels to decrease your chance of heart disease.⁴ 

Among grape seed oil benefits, it has anti-inflammatory properties and can be beneficial for heart health, brain health, and more.² That said, it contains high levels of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, which some people get too much of in their diet.² If you’re planning to adopt a grape seed oil diet, it’s important to look at how it fits in with your overall diet to ensure you’re getting a proper balance of nutrients.

Other grape seed oil benefits include for:

• Dry Skin (Xeroderma) - Grape seed oil is rich in vitamin E, which makes it a good topical treatment for moisturizing skin and hair.
• Eczema (Dermatitis) - In the same way it can help treat dry skin, grape seed oil uses also include treating the skin condition eczema through topical applications.
• Cradle Cap (Seborrheic Dermatitis) - Cradle cap is a common condition characterized by yellowish, crusty skin on the scalp of infants. Grape seed oil can help moisturize the scalp as well as provide anti-inflammatory benefits.
• Bladder Cancer - Because of its high antioxidant content, grape seed oil benefits individuals with cancer or with high risk of cancer when taken orally.

Grape Seed Oil Side Effects and Precautions

While grape seed oil is considered safe to take orally and to apply topically, it’s important that you don’t eat too much. Though the fats in it are considered healthy, a healthy diet is about balancing the many different types of fats in your diet.² Getting too much omega-6s, such as those found in grape seed oil, can result in grape seed oil side effects like hormonal imbalances, weight gain, increased inflammation, and high cholesterol.² 

Like with any herbs, grape seed oil may interact with other medications or herbal remedies. Talk to your doctor about starting on a grape seed oil diet if you have a serious health concern or are taking medications. Stop using grape seed oil if you experience signs of an allergic reaction.

References

1. https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/472.html
2. https://draxe.com/grapeseed-oil/
3. http://www.herbs2000.com/herbs/herbs_grape.htm
4. http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/in-depth/fat/art-20045550