Cranberries for Health!

Cranberry Demonstrates Heart Health Benefits Reported From Important New Study Polyphenol-rich cranberry juice may boost heart health by helping alleviate stiffness of the arteries, reports an important new study from the Boston and Tufts Universities. High concentrate Cranberry containing 835 milligrams of total polyphenols and 94 mg of anthocyanins was associated withimprovements in a measure of arterial stiffness known as Carotid Femoral Pulse Wave Velocity, according tofindings published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The research scientists report no benefits were observed from cranberry juice consumption for other measures of vascular or cardiovascular function, including blood pressure or brachial artery flow- mediated dilation; This measures endothelial dysfunction... A low value is indicative of a blood vessel's inability torelax. "We did observe a highly significant effect of cranberry juice on stiffness of the central aorta, which isincreasingly recognized as an important measure of vascular function with relevance to cardiovascular disease," wrote the Boston University researchers. "Overall, our results may provide further support for the American Heart Association recommendation that cardiovascular disease risk may be reduced by a diet rich in vegetables and fruit including cranberries," they added. Established and Emerging Health Benefits of Cranberries Cranberry is well known for its ability to fight urinary tract infections. Currently, nearly onethird of parents in the US give Cranberry juice to their children, according to a recent statistics. In 2004, France became the first country to approve a specific health claim for the North American cranberry species (Vaccinium macrocarpon) which states that it can "help reduce the adhesion of certain E.coli bacteria to the urinary tract walls." Other health conditions that may benefit from cranberry include stomach health, with numerous reports indicating that the berry's natural constituents may inhibit the adhesion of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach.H. pylori is the bacteria known to cause peptic ulcers and gastritis. In addition studies have suggested that proanthocyanidin- rich cranberry extracts may inhibit the growth and spread of human oesophageal adenocarcinoma (a cancer in glandular tissue), or may prevent colon cancervia an anti-inflammatory mechanism. For the Boston-based study, he researchers performed two studies: The first was an acute pilot study with no placebo involving 15 participants; the second was a chronic placebo-controlled crossover study with 44 participants with coronary artery disease. In the acute, non-placebo controlled, pilot study, the researchers reported that cranberry juice (480 mL) was associated with improvements in both brachial artery flow-mediated dilation, from 7.7 percent before ingestion to 8.7 percent four hours after ingestion, as well as improved digital pulse amplitude tonometry ratio. However, in the placebo-controlled, cross-over study, no such changes were observed. "Additional studies will be needed to determine how cranberry juice reduces central aortic stiffness, but our finding of improved pulse wave velocity without a change in endothelial function may be consistent with an effect at the level of the arterial wall or a change in sympathetic tone," the researchers added. The study was funded by cranberry supplier Ocean Spray and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Source: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Published online) "Effects of cranberry juice consumption on vascular function in patients with coronary artery disease" Editor's Note: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.