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Cranberries, Antioxidants and Heart Disease

November 21, 2001

(The New York Times News Service) - Researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease.

Even before the recent discovery about the antioxidant properties of cranberries, published in a recent article from the peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries had a lot going for them. Not the least of which is the scientific confirmation of the old wives' tale about the value of cranberries in reducing the risk of urinary tract infections. Once established only anecdotally, there are now at least eight scientific studies confirming that tale. Research has shown that cranberries keep E. coli from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. Eighty to 90 percent of urinary tract infections are caused by E. coli.

But in today's fast-moving scientific world with nonstop discoveries about the virtues of most fruits and vegetables, the only way something as seasonal as a cranberry can distinguish itself is by proving its nutritional prowess on many fronts.

Since the news on urinary tract infections, additional research has suggested that cranberries may inhibit human breast cancer cell growth, and reduce the risk of gum disease and of stomach ulcers.

With the release of the study on antioxidants in cranberries, from the University of Scranton, this native American berry ranks right up there in the pantheon of highly beneficial fruits and vegetables. Research at three other universities shows that in animal studies cranberries decrease levels of total cholesterol and LDL, or bad cholesterol. Studies are under way to see if the high level of antioxidants in cranberries also protects against atherosclerosis.

The greatest antioxidant levels are found in fresh cranberries: processing, storage and heating reduce antioxidant levels. Compared with 19 other common fruits cranberries have the highest level of the antioxidant, phenol. The Cranberry Institute says: "On the basis of serving size, 100 percent cranberry juice, found in some health food stores, has the highest antioxidant content."

But the researcher on the study, Joe A. Vinson, a professor of chemistry at Scranton, notes that many people prefer not to drink it in this form because it is extremely sour. (You could add sugar.)

Assuming Vinson is correct that most people do not like to drink cranberry juice straight any more than they like to drink lemon juice straight, the best choices are fresh and dried cranberries. The lowest level of antioxidants is found in sweetened cranberry drinks and cranberry cocktails.

Even if the Cranberry Institute is not going to talk about taste anymore, I think cranberries are delicious, just because of their tartness. (An) old recipe for raw cranberry orange relish with a couple of new twists takes 10 minutes to put together and gives more of those antioxidants than any other way - except for raw cranberry juice, of course.

CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH Time: 10 minutes, plus chilling time 2 cups fresh cranberries 2 oranges, pitted, peel removed from one orange 6 heaping tablespoons toasted, chopped pecans 6 tablespoons dried cranberries 6 tablespoons maple syrup 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier 2 tablespoons sugar \ teaspoon ground nutmeg.

Wash the fresh cranberries and grind them in a meat grinder using a fine blade or process in a food processor until the cranberries are finely chopped. Cut the oranges into eighths and grind or process until finely chopped. Combine fresh cranberries, oranges, pecans, dried cranberries, maple syrup, Grand Marnier, sugar and nutmeg; stir well and refrigerate at least an hour but up to 3 or 4 days.

Yield: 3 cups. Notes: A meat grinder provides a more consistent texture than a food processor. For best flavor, use Grade B maple syrup.

 

Copyright 2001 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved.

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