Vitamin gets fruitful power boost

Red grapes and blueberries both contain compounds that work with vitamin D to boost the immune system.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Sep 2013, 01:01 BST

Researchers at Oregon State University in the US found that the plant compounds, called stilbenoids, increased activity of a gene involved in immune function.

Stilbenoids are produced by plants to fight infections. In humans, they appear to affect signalling pathways used by vitamin D.

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The lab tests showed that combining the compounds with vitamin D made them more potent.

The stilbenoid in red grapes is resveratrol, already hailed for potential inflammation and cancer-fighting properties. The results appeared in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research.