Cranberry Juice Lowers Risk of Cardiovascular Disease
CRANBERRY JUICE LOWERS RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE:
A study found that the polyphenols and anthocyanins in specially-prepared, double-strength cranberry juice reduces arterial stiffness, one of the measures of cardiovascular health, about 12 hours after consumption of 480mL of this juice. (Polyphenols and anthocyanins are two types of antioxidant nutrients found in plant foods.) The double-strength cranberry juice was comprised of 54 percent juice, 835mg of total polyphenols and 94mg of anthocyanins. Test subjects consumed 480mL of the juice daily for four weeks, the same volume of a placebo daily for a different four weeks, and neither for two weeks between these periods. A number of cardiovascular measures, such as blood pressure, showed no change. But a measure known as “carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity” was reduced within 12 hours of cranberry juice consumption, indicating a lower degree of central aortic stiffness, which represents an acute cardiovascular benefit of cranberry juice. This study was released March 16, 2011 but will not appear in print until a future issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. It is available online now at http://bit.ly/hAcjgP.
Cranberry Juice’s Infection Fighting Mechanism Discovered
Cranberry juice has been linked to fewer urinary tract infections (UTI) but many see it as a folk remedy.
To confirm this infection-fighting association, scientists needed clear insight into possible mechanisms by which cranberry juice works. Now, a study has provided evidence of this mechanism. Researchers cultivated strains of E. coli – the bacteria that are the most common cause of UTI – in urine collected from healthy volunteers both before and after consumption of cranberry juice cocktail. While E. coli grown in ordinary urine were able to produce normal biofilm – the substance that allows bacteria to stick to the urinary tract and to other bacteria, essentially setting up shop – the bacteria grown in urine from those who consumed cranberry juice were unable to adhere to each other or to any surface area. Cranberry juice does not kill bacteria but blocks much of their ability to “stick” around and colonize.
Researchers estimated cranberry juice reaches and protects the urinary tract within eight hours of consumption. More women develop a UTI than men. This study was presented at the 240th national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston on the evening of Monday, August 23, 2010. Details have not yet been published.
