CRANBERRY JUICE MAY REDUCE HEART DISEASE

(6/7/2004) Drinking cranberry juice may fight heart disease by raising "good" cholesterol and antioxidants, researchers say.

A group of 19 volunteers with high cholesterol were given between one and three glasses of juice a day over a period of three months. The study suggested that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice a day could reduce heart disease risk by 40%. High density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good" cholesterol levels increased by an average of 10% when volunteers were given three servings of cranberry juice. The increase corresponded to a reduction in heart disease risk of about 40%, based on known epidemiological data.

At the same time the researchers found that the amount of antioxidants available to the body increased by up to 121% after two of three glasses of cranberry juice a day. Antioxidants are known to clean up dangerous atomic particles called free radicals and are also known to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

Professor Joe Vinson, from the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said: "This study gives consumers another reason to consider drinking cranberry juice, which has more health benefits than previously believed. People should consider drinking it with their meals, perhaps as an alternative to soda."

How cranberry juice influences cholesterol levels is not clear. Professor Vinson suspects that it involved the fruit’s high levels of polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant. Professor Vinson presented the findings at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans.

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