Power Foods: Cranberries are more than a Holiday Treat

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

28 Nov 2006 08:56 AM

A researcher at Rutgers University has identified cranberries as one of the key foods that provides great health benefits. Cranberries, a traditional holiday food, are chock full of antioxidants. Antioxidants are key in the protection of your body's cells against free radicals.

The National Institutes of Health research into the cranberry's effect on the body includes research into yeast infections, heart disease, viral infections, stroke, cancer and more. According to their studies, they have discovered that:

• Drinking cranberry juice helps block urinary tract infections by binding up bacteria to prevent it's ability to adhere to cell walls
• A compound inside cranberries can help prevcent plaque formation on your teeth and there are mouthwashes being developed with it that help prevent periodontal disease
• Some people who consume cranberry juice regularly eliminate the H. pylori bacteria that may cause ulcers and stomach cancer
• Drinking cranberry juice raises levels of HDL (the good cholesterol) and lowers the LDL (the bad cholesterol)
• Research suggests that cranberries may keep tumors from starting to develop or prevent the growth of tumors already there
• Extracts of chemicals within cranberries have been shown to prevent breast cancer cells from multiplying in the test tube, though human research has not been demonstrated

And you just thought it was a holiday decoration and dish! Key fitness studies show that eating a balanced diet and getting plenty of fruit, vegetables and water in your diet can make you healthier overall. The research into cranberries shows that the holiday dish has a lot more power to pack into the fruit punch, desert dish and garnish than we previously knew.

For years, my grandmother always insisted that I should drink cranberry juice whenever we suspected a urinary tract infection. While many doctors are still not certain that it actually works, I've experienced success with it and so have many others - maybe there's something that our grandparents knew because it worked and not because they had the science to support it until now.

How do you feel about cranberries?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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