The benefits of cranberries on the cardiovascular health of healthy men have been investigated in a new study published in Food &; Function. The study confirms that cranberries seem to be linked to potential improvements in cardiovascular health, even in healthy people.
Cranberries and Heart Health
According to Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, Professor of Nutrition in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at King’s College London and lead author of the study, the increase in polyphenols and metabolites in the blood and the associated improvement in flow-mediated dilation highlight the potential of cranberries in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Moreover, these improvements seem to be induced by cranberries even with servings that can reasonably be consumed each day.
The proanthocyanidins contained in cranberries
Other studies have already suggested that polyphenols in berries may have beneficial effects on the heart, but blueberries are particularly rich in proanthocyanidins. It is a type of polyphenol (discovered in 1947 by Jacques Masquelier) that has distinct properties compared to many other polyphenols found in other vegetables and fruits.
The experiment on 45 healthy men
The researchers conducted the study on 45 healthy men. Some of them had to consume a daily amount of freeze-dried whole cranberry powder equivalent to regarding 100 grams of fresh cranberries. The other participants were in the placebo group. The experiment lasted a month. The researchers performed blood and urine tests to assess blood pressure, heart rate, blood lipids, blood sugar, and flow-mediated dilation on the first day of the experiment and at the end.
Conclusions
The researchers conclude that consuming whole cranberry powder daily for a month has the potential to improve vascular function in healthy men.
“Our results provide strong evidence that cranberries can significantly influence vascular health, even in people at low cardiovascular risk. This study also indicates that specific metabolites found in the blood following consuming cranberries are linked to the beneficial effects,” says Christian Heiss, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at the University of Surrey and one of the study authors.