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5 Reasons to Eat More Cranberry
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Dozens of recent scientific studies have proven what many Native American healers have known for centuries--cranberries and products made from them are safe, effective ways to support your health and address some of the most common health conditions affecting us today. Here are 5 good reasons to add more cranberry foods into your dietary plan.
1. Cranberries prevent and ease urinary tract infections. Cranberry juice not only kills many of the germs that cause urinary tract infections; it also works by preventing bacteria from adhering to the walls of your urinary tract. This one-two-punch may explain why cranberry juice has long been a favorite home remedy for urinary tract infections among both mainstream and alternative doctors.
2. Cranberries may prevent kidney stones. At least one study has proven that regular consumption of diluted cranberry juice reduces the saturation of three chemicals directly tied to kidney stone formation. This means that for some people, cranberry juice may be an effective way to lower their risk of this painful medical condition.
3. Cranberries fight ulcers. Cranberry juice is recognized as antimicrobial food and one of the germs it is most effective against is the bacterium that causes most peptic ulcers--Helicobacter pylori. When taken with probiotics, or "good" bacteria, cranberry juice is particularly effective at fighting this common gastrointestinal infection while allowing colonies of "healthy" bacteria to re-establish themselves.
4. Cranberries protect your heart. A number studies suggest that cranberry's polyphenols, which are chemicals produced naturally by plants, may protect heart health by reducing blood pressure, platelet aggregation and oxidation. Additionally, compounds in cranberries and cranberry juice have anti-inflammatory properties that further support cardiovascular health.
5. Cranberries may help fight cancer. The flavonols, triterpenoids and other compounds found in cranberries slow or arrest the growth and spread of tumors in the breast, colon, prostate, lung and other organs. Cranberries may also force tumor cells to undergo what doctors call apoptosis, or "cell death".
Those are only a few of the reasons to add more cranberry products to your nutritional health arsenal and future research will undoubtedly give us even more. But perhaps the best news is that contrary to what some people claim, sweetened cranberry juice cocktails can be just as healthy as unsweetened "natural" products. In fact, many of the studies looking at the health benefits of cranberries actually used plain old grocery-store cranberry juice cocktail. So, go ahead. Enjoy your cranberry juice cocktail. It's good for you.
References:
Enache, E., Chen, Y. (2007). Survival of Escherichia coli O157:H7, Salmonella, and Listeria monocytogenes in cranberry juice concentrates at different oBrix levels. Journal of Food Protection.
McHarg, T., Rodgers, A., Charlton, K. (203). Influence of cranberry juice on the urinary risk factors for calcium oxalate kidney stone formation. British Journal of Urology.
Carson, C., Rilye, T. (2003). Non-antibiotic therapies for infectious diseases. Communicable Diseases Intelligence.
McKay, D., Blumberg, J. (2007). Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) and cardiovascular disease risk factors. Nutrition Reviews.
Neto, C. (2007). Cranberry and its phytochemicals: a review of in vitro anticancer studies. Journal of Nutrition.
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