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Cholesterol
Cranberries Promote Heart Health
Cranberries improve the health of pigs’ hearts and may do the same for humans, researchers said today. The fruit, described as a “nutrient powerhouse”, has already been shown to fight urinary infections, help prevent stomach ulcers, and protect against tooth decay. Scientists had also suspected that antioxidant compounds called phenols in cranberries were good for the heart. This has now been born out by early results from a study of pigs fed concentrated cranberry juice powder in their diets.
The pigs were genetically engineered to develop high cholesterol and hardened arteries.
Cranberry powder appeared to make their blood vessels relax and open more. Abnormal blood vessel function is an important component of heart disease. Finding ways to improve the way blood vessels perform by widening at the right time is crucial to preventing heart attacks and strokes.
The next step is to determine what specific components of cranberries are most important to the improvements in vascular function that we observed, exactly how they modify blood vessel relaxation, and how they can be most easily consumed as part of the diet.
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