Cranberry Benefits

It is widely known that cranberries help prevent urinary tract infection.  This is accomplished by preventing bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.  More recently it has been discovered that the same properties help reduce bacterial adhesion to teeth, thus reducing the formation of dental plaque.  Recent studies have also revealed that compounds in cranberries stop certain disease-causing bacteria from sticking to the stomach lining, thus helping to prevent ulcers.

Fruits and vegetables are excellent foods for good health.  They contain disease-fighting powerful antioxidant phenols.  In a study of 20 commonly eaten fruits cranberries contained significantly more phenols than any other fruit measured.

Researchers believe phenol compounds called flavonoids, associated with foods such as red wine, help reduce cardiovascular disease.  Studies indicate flavonoids work by inhibiting blood clothing, increasing interior blood vessel diameter and protecting oxidation of cholesterol in the bloodstream.  This all leads to improved cardiovascular health.  Flavonoids as powerful antioridants plus other compounds may also play a role in preventing certain types of cancers.  Research to date indicates this and more studies are underway.

Cranberries may also act as natural “probiotics” by enabling the good bacteria in the GI tract to thrive, while killing off the bad bacteria that promote infections and food-borne illnesses.

 Cranberry Research

Cranberries, or Vaccinium macrocarpon, are about 80% water, 10% carbohydrates and 10% other organic compounds. They contain three acids: quinic, malic, and citric. It is these acids that have long been thought to help cure or prevent urinary tract infections. A few years ago, however, it was discovered that other Vaccinium macrocarpon species (blueberries) were also beneficial related to UTI's. Both cranberries and blueberries contain an organic compound called phenol. When a number of phenols are joined together, they form a group called a proanthocyanindins, which inhibit the Escherichia coli bacteria from attaching to the lining of the urinary tract. Escherichia coli, or E. coli, is the number one cause of UTI’s.

Cranberries have also been investigated for numerous other medicinal benefits, such as fighting cancer, stroke and viral infections. The National Institutes of Health is funding research to further investigate the effects of cranberries on heart disease and yeast infections. Some preliminary research indicates that drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol. Likewise, there is some indication that they may assist with the prevention of H . pylori infection, which causes gastrointestinal ulcers and dental plaque.

Research has also been done that implies that cranberry phenols may have heart protective benefits by reducing both total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.