A study presented at the Cranberry Health Research Conference shows that cranberry juice consumption may play a role in protecting against cardiovascular disease.
In a randomized, controlled crossover trial, researchers gave 10 healthy male subjects, aged 18 to 40, 450 mL of sweetened cranberry juice made from concentrate. The cranberry concentrate was prepared with varying water to concentrate ratios. 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.
The researchers found that all of the cranberry juices improved FMD, including 25% cranberry juice, which is equivalent to the common 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,” said Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology, and Vascular Medicine at the University Duesseldorf. “Significant improvements in vascular function from drinking two cups of cranberry juice suggest an important role for cranberries in a heart-healthy diet.”
