The benefits of cranberries

At most Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner celebrations in North America a golden roasted turkey is usually front and centre at the meal. But there’s a more humble food on the table that deserves some attention –  and it’s not the stuffing.

It turns out cranberries, as tart as they are, may be just what the doctor ordered. While vitamin C and fibre play a role in cranberry's health benefits, it's the fruit’s phytonutrients that has gotten the attention of researchers. 

Centuries ago, indigenous people knew cranberry had something medicinal to offer and began using the fruit for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Today we know that this folklore remedy had some merit. While there isn’t a lot of scientific evidence that supports using cranberry in treating existing UTIs, research findings have revealed that cranberry juice and cranberry supplements help prevent a bacterial invasion of our water works.

Modern research is trying to help us understand the exact mechanism in which cranberry prevents UTIs. Theories have been floating around for years that suggest cranberry’s effectiveness is due to its ability to acidify the urine but this has never been proven.

“Current theories [regarding cranberry and the prevention of UTIs] relate to the presence of naturally-occurring substances in cranberry, which enter the urine and prevent bacteria from binding to the lining of the urinary tract. Attachment of bacteria, such as E. coli, to the lining of the urinary tract is one of the hallmarks that results in an actual infection of the bladder muscle”, says Dr. Lynn Stothers, an associate professor of urology at the University of British Columbia. 

Stothers, who is also the director of research at UBC’s Bladder Care Centre, received a $1 million U.S. grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate the effects of cranberry products in women with recurrent UTIs. 

Although cranberry products are commonly taken to prevent UTIs, an optimally effective dose of juice or supplements hasn’t been established and the chemicals responsible for the UTI-preventing properties in cranberry have yet to be conclusively identified.

The NIH-funded study will determine the minimum dose of cranberry products necessary to prevent UTIs and whether plant pigments called proanthocyanidins influence the UTI-preventing properties of cranberry. 

Aside from preventing UTIs, the anti-adhesion effect of cranberry may positively influence other harmful bacteria in our bodies. Promising areas of research include the prevention of  H. pylori infection and periodontal gum disease. H. pylori is the culprit behind most gastric ulcers; cranberry products may decrease the likelihood of this bacteria infecting the stomach lining.

The incidence of periodontal gum disease and dental cavities may also be reduced because cranberry could prevent bacteria from clinging to tooth enamel. 

Regularly consuming cranberry products may have far reaching implications if we develop fewer infections and use fewer antibiotics. Reducing our dependency on antibiotics could decrease the likelihood of creating antibiotic-resistant “super bugs”. And that’s a positive health consequence none of us should ignore.