Cranberry is a fruit native to North America. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports some evidence that cranberry juice and supplements may prevent or treat urinary tract infections. Studies have also been conducted to determine if cranberries can inhibit H. pylori, an infection that causes gastrointestinal ulcers and dental plaque. Cranberry supplements are made using dried and ground cranberries.
For Urinary Tract Infections
In 1994, the "Journal of the American Medical Association" published a study looking at the effect of cranberry juice on the bacteria found in urine and white blood cells produced during a urinary tract infection. Women who drank cranberry juice had a 42 percent decreased risk of developing the infection.
For Ulcers
H. pylori is a bacteria that may be responsible for the majority of gastric ulcers. A common infection in the United States, the NIH indicates that it effects about 20 percent of people under the age of 40 and 50 percent of those over the age of 60. Though it's not known how people contract the bacteria, it's believed that compounds in cranberries help fight it. There is good scientific evidence, according to the NIH, supporting early research findings indicating that cranberries may reduce the ability of H. pylori bacteria to survive in the stomach.
A 2005 study by doctors at Peking University in Beijing, China, found that H. pylori bacteria levels were minimized in patients who drank cranberry juice daily for 90 days.
As An Antioxidant
Cranberries are a great source of antioxidants--compounds that protect the cells in the body from damage. The University of Maryland Medical Center reports that antioxidants in cranberries neutralize free radicals, "which damage cell membranes, tamper with DNA, and even cause cell death."
The antioxidants in cranberries may also reduce the risk of developing heart disease. The medical center at the University of Maryland explains that cranberries are packed with flavonoids that inhibit low density lipoprotein, also known as LDL or "bad" cholesterol, oxidation and protect against heart disease.
For Oral Health
The Cranberry Institute, an association that promotes the cranberry industry, reported on a 2002 study published in "Clinical Reviews Food Science and Nutrition." Researchers at University Laval Quebec City in Quebec, Canada, found that mouthwash containing cranberry molecules may help prevent and treat disease that attacks the gums and bone around the teeth.
References
- Journal of the American Medical Association: Reduction of Bacteriuria and Pyuria After Ingestion of Cranberry Juice
- Helicobater: Efficacy of Cranberry Juice on H. Pylori Infection
- Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy: Effects of Cranberry Fraction on Growth of Gingivalis
- Cranberry Institute: Emerging Research
- University of Maryland Medical Center: Cranberry
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