Cranberries - So Much More Than Just Juice

Cranberries are rather taken for granted nowadays.  Consumed in massive quantities in the USA and Canada especially, they are used for juice for breakfast, added to snack bars for a quick efficient lunch and are the staple of the sauce used with turkey at traditional thanksgiving dinners.

But there so much more to this little berry that a lot of people just don’t know.  They have huge health benefits, and that’s what we’re going to look at now.

Firstly, cranberries are absolutely full of antioxidants, which help protect the body’s cells from damage by the unstable molecules called free radicals.

The National Institutes of Health is currently researching the cranberry’s effects on heart disease, yeast infections and other conditions.  And yet more researchers are investigating its potential against cancer, stroke and viral infections.

So far, this research has found:

• Drinking cranberry juice can block urinary infections by binding to bacteria so they can’t adhere to cell walls. While women often drink unsweetened cranberry juice to treat an infection, there’s no hard evidence that works.
• A compound Howell discovered in cranberries, proanthocyanidine, prevents plaque formation on teeth; mouthwashes containing it are being developed to prevent periodontal disease.
• In some people, regular cranberry juice consumption for months can kill the H. pylori bacteria, which can cause stomach cancer and ulcers.

Preliminary research also shows: 

• Drinking cranberry juice daily may increase levels of HDL, or good cholesterol and reduce levels of LDL, or bad cholesterol.

• Cranberries may prevent tumors from growing rapidly or starting in the first place.

• Extracts of chemicals in cranberries prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying in a test tube; whether that would work in women is unknown.

As you can see, the benefits of this little berry are huge.  It shows great promise, especially in treating cancers and for this reason alone, it’s worth it’s weight in gold.