Going bananas over cranberries can help your heart health, says study

We already know berries are ‘berry good’ for our health, isn’t it? The sheer variety may baffle you, but each kind has its own specialty. For instance, if heart health is what’s on your mind, cranberries should be in your fruit basket. Why? That’s because a recent study conducted by King’s College London scientists, tracked 45 healthy men over a month and found that daily consumption of cranberries improved their cardiovascular function.

What’s the link between cranberries and heart health?

The study that was published in the journal Food & Function surveyed 45 healthy men who consumed whole cranberry powder equivalent to 100 gms of fresh cranberries per day (9 g powder) or a placebo for one month. Those who consumed cranberry had a significant improvement in flow-mediated dilation (FMD), which is considered a biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk.

Here’s what Dr Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, senior author of the study, shared with the media, “The increases in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the related improvements in flow-mediated dilation after cranberry consumption emphasize the important role that cranberries may play in cardiovascular disease prevention. The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with a number of cranberries that can be reasonably consumed daily makes cranberry an important fruit in the prevention of cardiovascular disease for the general public.”

Why are cranberries considered a superfood?

Kavita Devgan, celeb nutritionist, says that this nutrient-dense superfood delivers essential vitamins and minerals, dietary fibre, and multiple other important compounds with numerous potential health benefits.

“They are loaded with antioxidants and most of the benefits associated with them come from there. In fact, these berries have the highest level of disease-fighting polyphenols; grapes come a distant second. They deliver a good amount of vitamin C, vitamin K, and vitamin E, all extremely effective antioxidants,” she adds.

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These antioxidants give your immunity a fighting chance against the myriad infections, and work well for your digestive health too.

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We’ve also heard of how cranberry juice is THE solution, if you have urinary tract infections (UTIs). That’s because they contain compounds known as proanthocyanidins that help prevent bacteria like Escherichia coli from attaching to the inner surface of the bladder.

What’s more, these berries also contain a plant compound that is likely to reduce the risk of gastric ulcers and stomach cancer caused by the bacterium helicobacter pylori. When you consume cranberry products, you may suppress the growth of the bacteria, which could prevent the occurrence of stomach cancer.
So ladies, wait no more and go crazy about cranberries!

(With inputs from ANI)