Cranberry Juice, Not Jjust for UTIs Anymore, May Protect the Heart

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Last Updated: July 15, 2023
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Cranberry juice is an accepted remedy for urinary tract infections (UTIs), working rapidly and reliably to prevent bothersome symptoms in both men in women. Cranberry juice has been an important mainstay for women because one in three women report having had UTIs. Even doctors recommend this tasty juice to patients because it helps keep bacteria from sticking and causing infections.

Now, just yesterday, researchers released results from a new study that expand the medicinal properties of cranberry juice to include protection against cardiovascular disease. Results from the study indicate a “potent relationship” between cranberry juice and improved vascular function. Improving vascular function, such as blood flow, can have a powerful and beneficial effect on a person’s cardiovascular health. including helping to prevent atherosclerosis.

“Cranberry juice is a rich source of phytonutrients,” explained principal investigator of the study, Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos. Researchers prepared the cranberry concentrations with water ranging in concentrations from from 0 to 117 percent. All of the concentrations benefited vascular flow, including a 25 percent cranberry juice, which is equivalent to the commonly consumed cranberry juice cocktails. The highest concentration of juice also showed improvements in systolic blood pressure.

Results were presented at the Cranberry Health Research Conference that preceded the annual Berry Health Benefits Symposium 2015 being held this year October 12-15 in Madison, WI. More research is needed, of course, as this was a small study of ten healthy men between the ages of 1-40, who received about 2 cups of juice. Since women have more UTIs, do you wonder why the research was done only on men? This research suggests that it may be beneficial to cranberry juice to your beverages. Watch out for added sugar, but consider taking advantage of the newly disclosed benefits.

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