Cranberries are Powerful Natural Antioxidants

Tufts scientists measured the natural antioxidant levels of 50 fresh fruits and vegetables, and found berries occupied the top slots. This has largely been attributed to their high anthocyanin content. Anthocyanins give berries their blue and red colors as well as being powerful natural antioxidants three to four times more potent then traditional antioxidants such as vitamins C and E.

A 2001 University of Scranton study looked at antioxidant phenol content in 20 different fruits commonly consumed in America: apple, avocado, banana, blueberry, cantaloupe, cherry, cranberry, grape (both red and white), grapefruit, lemon, honeydew, nectarine, orange, peach, pear, pineapple, plum, strawberry and watermelon. Only a few fruits--avocado, cranberry, honeydew melon, and orange--were found to have a large portion of their phenols in a free form (versus conjugated, as in the other fruits). Cranberries, by far, had the largest amount of both free and total phenols among the 20 fruits tested, with red grapes a distant second.

Cranberries are most well known for their role in combating urinary tract infections. This health benefit comes from the tart tasting group of phenols called condensed tannins found in cranberries, which prevent bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract.

At the meeting of the American Chemical Society in April 2002 several studies were presented that demonstrated that the antioxidant benefits of cranberries does not end with UTIs (urinary tract infections). Emerging as one of the most powerful among common fruits studied, cranberries appear to possess anti-cancer properties, inhibit the growth of common food-borne pathogens and contain antibacterial properties.

Cranberries may also act as natural "probiotics" by enabling the good bacteria in the GI tract to thrive, while killing off the bad bacteria that promote infections and food-borne illnesses.

Research has also been done that implies that cranberry phenols may have heart-protective benefits by reducing both total cholesterol and LDL (bad) cholesterol.