Cranberry Effects on AtherosclerosisIn a recently reported animal study, cranberry powder was found to have a positive effect on the health of blood vessels in animals bred to have high cholesterol and atherosclerosis. The study suggests that cranberries may not only help prevent heart disease by improving cholesterol levels, but may actually be beneficial to those who already have atherosclerosis. Familial hypercholesterolemic (FH) pigs were given daily 150g cranberry juice powder supplement for each kilogram of weight. The blood vessels in these animals do not function normally, their high cholesterol and atherosclerosis mimics the progression of this disease in humans, only on a timescale of months rather than decades. By the end of six months, the blood vessels of pigs given the supplement were more like those of normal pigs than those of their control-subject relations. There was significant vascular relaxation compared to the control group. Further studies are planned to determine exactly which specific components of the cranberry are causing these effects, though they suspect that polyphenols in the fruit are responsible. The researchers noted that humans would need to take unrealisticly large quantities of cranberry powder or juice to match the levels given in this study, but: The point to be emphasized is that total polyphenol intake is very low in western diets and a diet rich in polyphenols would in fact give a daily intake that is equivalent to the levels in our cranberry feeding experiments. Atherosclerosis is the leading killer in developed countries, and is responsible for nearly one in three deaths worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). There is little doubt that anything we can do to make inroads against heart disease mortality will increase our average lifespans. |
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