In The News: The Latest from the Cranberry Institute

Checkout the latest news from the Cranberry Institute.  And stay tuned for some cranberry recipes coming soon!

Fresh Cranberries: So Much More than Sauce

This season, we’re challenging you to show off your cran-tivity with fresh cranberries – a versatile fruit that adds unique flavor, color and variety to all kinds of dishes, sweet or savory.

And of course, they come with a wealth of health benefits! As a source of vitamin C and fiber, and naturally low in sugar, fresh cranberries are a healthy addition to any dish! And, they contain unique bioactive compounds that may positively affect glycemic response, prevent recurrent UTIs, support gut health, improve heart health and reduce inflammation.

We want to see the most fun, delicious and creative way you can prepare fresh cranberries in an appetizer, entrée or dessert! With Friendsgiving (and Thanksgiving!) just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get crafty with one of fall’s favorite fruits. 

AND A CHANCE TO WIN! Post your fresh cranberry recipe along with a cranberry health message on your blog and social channels, and send the links and any images over to us by November 7, for a chance to win one of three $75 Williams-Sonoma GiftCards – awarded to the most creative recipe from each category: appetizer, entrée and dessert! We can’t wait to see what you come up with! The full contest rules can be viewed here.

Breaking News from The Cranberry Chronicles: Busting Berry Myths

This year, we launched The Cranberry Chronicles, the comprehensive guide to cranberry’s existing, new and emerging whole-body health benefits. The Cranberry Chronicles are updated regularly with breaking scientific abstracts, articles, sharable resources, infographics and story ideas – all created with you in mind.

In the latest chapter, we’re busting myths surrounding cranberries and UTIs. Our newest graphic, The Berry Truth: Myths Busted, sheds light on some common misconceptions about cranberries – and clears up the science on how help prevent UTIs.

And remember to check out our Berries for Bellies graphic – sharing the science behind how cranberry may improve gut health!

Cranberry Health Research Library 

Explore the extensive database of cranberry health research abstracts with our easy-to-follow breakdown by topic area. You can also browse the selections by year to find the most recent publications: Cranberry Health Research Library.

The Latest in Cranberries and Health

Cranberries Beyond the Urinary Tract – Exploring the Whole-Body Benefits of Cranberry Polyphenols

The benefits of consuming cranberry products to help prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) is evidence-based and significant to human health. More recently, however, scientists are investigating whether the polyphenolic compounds in cranberries may also have a meaningful impact on other parts of the body. Below are two new studies that ask this very question.

Scientists Explore How Cranberry Polyphenols May Positively Impact Metabolic Disorders

The international obesity pandemic has prompted researchers in many areas of health science to investigate its etiology and relationship to other body systems and the food we eat. Diets high in fruits and vegetables have been linked to leaner, healthier individuals so scientists are searching for bioactive plant-compounds that may treat or prevent obesity and its related metabolic disorders. Polyphenols are among the compounds found to be beneficial. Polyphenol-rich fruit extracts or isolated polyphenols as strategies to alleviate obesity-linked diseases have been demonstrated in humans and in animal models.

Cranberries are rich in polyphenols. Thus, Anhe, et al., investigated the potential of a polyphenol-rich cranberry extract to reverse already established obesity, insulin resistance, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and whether such effects may be linked to the improving the health of the gut microbiota. In this animal model, mice were fed a high-fat, high-sucrose diet to induce obesity. When treated with cranberry extract on this same diet, the team observed an upregulation of genes that are involved in fat breakdown and a decrease in several pro-inflammatory genes in the liver. This was associated with improved glucose metabolism and normalization of insulin sensitivity. In addition, indicators of a healthy gut microbiota were increased. In addition to showing the value of cranberry polyphenols to metabolic health, this discovery suggests that cranberry polyphenols may improve conditions by way of the liver and gut.

A Polyphenol-Rich Cranberry Extract Reverses Insulin Resistance and Hepatic Steatosis Independently of Body Weight Loss.

Authors: Anhe FF; Nachbar RT; Varin TV; Vilela V; Dudonne S; Pilon G; Fournier M; Lecours MA; Desjardins Y; Roy D; Levy E; Marette A. 

Journal: Mol Metab. 2017 Dec;6(12):1563-1573. doi: 10.1016/j.molmet.2017.10.003. Epub 2017 Oct 18.

Cranberry Extract May Help Protect Against Ill-Effects of a High-Fat Diet and Obesity

Scientific institutions in Australia, India and Sweden combined efforts to evaluate the effect of cranberry extract and isomalto-oligosaccharides (a carbohydrate found in fermented foods like soy or miso) on metabolic health measures related to obesity. Using a mice model, the team found that with a high-fat diet, the combination of the cranberry and a fermentable carbohydrate significantly increased beneficial gut bacterial and overall gut health. It also prevented inflammation caused by the high-fat diet, glucose intolerance and obesity-associated metabolic changes in fat tissue and liver.

Co-Supplementation of Isomalto-Oligosaccharides Potentiates Metabolic Health Benefits of Polyphenol-Rich Cranberry Extract in High Fat Diet-Fed Mice Via Enhanced Gut Butyrate Production.

Authors: Singh DP; Singh S; Bijalwan V; Kumar V; Khare P; Baboota RK; Singh P; Boparai RK; Singh J; Kondepudi KK; Chopra K; Bishnoi M.

Journal: Eur J Nutr. doi: 10.1007/s00394-017-1561-5