Cran-berry good for the heart
A new research shows that drinking cranberry juice can help fight heart disease. Cranberry juice improves vascular function and prevents plaque to build up in the arteries.
The study was led by Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, PhD, from the Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology and Vascular Medicine at the University Duesseldorf, Germany.
“Cranberry juice is a rich source of phytonutrients, including proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and phenolic acids,” explains Dr. Rodriguez-Mateos. “Due to this robust profile of polyphenols, our team sought to evaluate the immediate vascular impact of drinking one, 450 ml (or 16 ounces) glass of cranberry juice with a different range of concentrations of cranberry-polyphenols.”
In a randomized, controlled crossover trial, researchers gave ten healthy male subjects, between the ages of 18-40 years, 450 ml (just under 2 cups) of sweetened cranberry juice made from concentrate. The cranberry concentrate was prepared with water to concentrations ranging from 0 to 117%.
The amount of cranberry-polyphenols increased with the concentration. Non-invasive measurements of vascular function including flow-mediated vasodilation (FMD), blood pressure and arterial stiffness were performed at baseline and at one, two, four, six and eight hours post-consumption.
Blood and urine samples were collected for 24 hours following consumption to detect changes in plasma and urinary cranberry-derived polyphenols. Across the board, all of the cranberry juices benefited FMD – including 25% cranberry juice, equivalent to the commonly consumed cranberry juice cocktail (25-27%). The highest concentration of cranberry-polyphenol juice also showed improvements in systolic blood pressure.
“Our results lay the groundwork to better understand the array of potential vascular and cardiovascular health benefits of cranberry polyphenols,” notes Dr. Rodriguez-Mateos. “Significant improvements in vascular function from drinking two cups of cranberry juice suggest an important role for cranberries in a heart-healthy diet.”
