Abundant in proanthocyanidins – a potent antioxidant compound, cranberries are also a good source of vitamins C and E. Janet A Novotny, from the US Agricultural Research Service of the Department of Agriculture (Maryland, USA), and colleagues enrolled 30 women and 26 men, average age 50 years, who were at-risk for cardiometabolic diseases, in an 8-week long study in which the subjects consumed a low-calorie cranberry juice (containing 172 mg of phenolic compounds), or placebo beverage. Cranberry juice lowered fasting serum triglyceride levels, C-reactive protein, diastolic blood pressure, and fasting plasma glucose. As well , those who received cranberry juice showed improvements in insulin resistance. The study authors submit that: “[Low-calorie cranberry juice] can improve several risk factors of [cardiovascular disease] in adults.”
Cranberry Juice Confers Cardiac Benefits
Janet A Novotny, David J Baer, Christina Khoo, Sarah K Gebauer, and Craig S Charron. “Cranberry Juice Consumption Lowers Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk, Including Blood Pressure and Circulating C-Reactive Protein, Triglyceride, and Glucose Concentrations in Adults.” J. Nutr. 2015 145: 6 1185-1193.
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