Do you want a healthier heart? Eat 100 grams of cranberries every day, scientists say
- A study by King’s College London tracked 45 men over the course of a month.
- They found that 100 grams of fruit improved the ability of arteries to dilate.
- Fruits may improve heart health ‘even in people with low cardiovascular risk’
Today, scientists said that eating 100 grams of cranberries a day may be the key to a healthy heart.
A study by King’s College London followed 45 men for a month to see how the superfood affected their blood pressure, heart rate and artery health.
They found that eating 100 grams — about a cup — of berries each day improved the width of their arteries by 1.1% over the course of a month compared to a control group.
But they did not cause any changes in heart rate, blood pressure, cholesterol or sugar levels during the study.
The authors say the results showed that cranberries can significantly improve heart health “even in people with low cardiovascular risk.”
Previous research has shown that cranberries can help treat urinary tract infections and even link them to more serious conditions like bowel cancer.
It has been proven to help cure urinary tract infections and even help with more serious conditions such as bowel cancer.
Today, scientists said that eating 100 grams of cranberries a day could be the key to a healthy heart.
Research conducted by King’s College London found that eating 100g – about a cup – of berries every day improved the width of their arteries by 1.1% over the course of a month compared to a control group. The graph shows: Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) – the number of arteries that were able to dilate as a result of increased blood flow – in men after eating 100 g of cranberries (burgundy) compared to those who took placebo (pink) for four hours.
Graph showing change in flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) – a measure of the width of an artery – in men after eating cranberries for a month (left) compared to those who took a placebo (right)
CRANBERRY MAY HELP BATTLE CANCER
According to previous research, cranberries may be the key to fighting colon cancer.
Nearly 16,200 people die from this disease every year in the UK.
The researchers created three powdered cranberry extracts: a whole fruit powder, another containing only cranberry chemicals known as polyphenols, and a third containing only the non-polyphenolic components of the fruit.
Extracts equivalent to a cup of cranberries a day were added to the food of mice with colon cancer.
After 20 weeks, mice fed whole cranberry extract had about half as many tumors as mice that did not receive cranberries in the diet. The rest of the tumors in mice fed cranberries were also smaller.
In addition, cranberry extracts reduced levels of inflammatory markers in mice.
The study came from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.
The researchers examined 45 healthy British men aged 18 to 45 for a month.
Half of the group were given two sachets of freeze-dried cranberry powder, equivalent to 100 grams of fresh berries, while the other half received a placebo powder.
The researchers measured “flow-mediated dilatation” (FMD) – the degree of dilation of the arteries as a result of increased blood flow – two hours after the powder was consumed and also one month after daily use.
Heart rate and blood pressure were also recorded.
They also analyzed blood plasma and urine samples to see how the berries affected cholesterol and blood glucose levels.
The results showed that in those who ate cranberries, FMD increased from an average of 7.1% to 8.2% just two hours after eating the fruit.
Those who received a placebo saw that they remained equal.
After a month of daily consumption of cranberries in the fed group, the total FMD increased by 1.1% compared to the original artery width.
Meanwhile, the placebo group again saw no change.
Professor Christian Heiss, an expert in cardiovascular disease at the University of Surrey, said: “Our results provide strong evidence that cranberries can significantly influence vascular health, even in people at low cardiovascular risk.”
“This study also indicates that certain metabolites present in the blood after cranberry consumption are associated with beneficial effects.”
Analysis of blood and urine samples showed that 13 chemicals found in cranberries are associated with increased levels of foot-and-mouth disease.
They measured the metabolites that are formed when the body breaks down certain chemicals found in foods.
The authors said they are “carefully speculating” that these chemicals, known as polyphenols found in cranberries, cause arterial improvement.
But they said further research is needed to prove these links.
Dr. Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, nutrition expert at KCL, said: “The increase in polyphenols and metabolites in the bloodstream and the associated improvement in flow-mediated expansion after cranberry consumption highlights cranberry’s important role in cardiovascular disease prevention.
“The fact that these improvements in cardiovascular health were seen with reasonable daily intake of cranberries makes cranberries an important fruit in cardiovascular disease prevention for the general public.”