Low-Calorie Cranberry Juice Shown to Lower Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Supplementing the diet with low-calorie cranberry juice (LCCJ) reduces the chances of developing cardiovascular disease by lowering several risk factors including circulating triglycerides (TGs), C-reactive protein (CRP), glucose, and diastolic blood pressure (BP).

Investigators at the United States Department of Agriculture (Beltsville, MD, USA) and Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. (Lakeville-Middleborough, MA, USA) conducted a double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-arm study on 30 women and 26 men. For eight weeks the participants ate controlled diets supplemented with twice daily drinks of 240 milliters of LCCJ or a placebo beverage, containing 173 or 62 mg of phenolic compounds and 6.5 or 7.5 g of total sugar per 240 milliliter serving, respectively.

Results published in the April 22, 2015, online edition of the Journal of Nutrition revealed that fasting serum TGs were lower after consuming LCCJ and that the participants with higher baseline TG concentrations were more likely to experience a larger treatment effect. Other cardiovascular disease risk factors including serum C-reactive protein (CRP), diastolic blood pressure (BP), and fasting plasma glucose were lower for individuals consuming LCCJ than for individuals consuming the placebo beverage. Furthermore, LCCJ had a beneficial effect on homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance for participants with high baseline values.

"At the start and end of the experiment, the researchers measured things like blood pressure, blood sugar levels, blood lipids, as well as C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation," said contributing author Dr. Christina Khoo, director of research sciences at Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc. "All of these measurements come together to tell a story. The worse off these numbers are in an individual, the more likely he or she will face a health condition like diabetes, heart disease, or stroke in the future. These findings suggest that polyphenols help to protect our bodies, and may be adept at keeping a large number of ailments at bay. Luckily for us, a rich source of polyphenols is only a glass of cranberry juice away. Among the commonly consumed fruits in our diets, cranberries boast some of the highest levels of polyphenols—more than apples, blueberries, grapes, or cherries."

The investigators suggested that individuals drinking two glasses of LCCJ per day could experience up to a 10% percent lower risk of heart disease and a 15% percent lower risk of stroke.

Related Links:
United States Department of Agriculture
Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.