Cranberry juice, as you may have guessed, is a juice made from cranberries, a berry native to Canada and parts of America. This berry is rich in vitamins C, E, and K and phytonutrients. It can be a refreshing juice, and in addition to its refreshing taste, it is well known for its benefits in preventing and assisting in bladder and urinary health. However, there are many more benefits that you may not be aware of. This article will dive deeper into the world of cranberry juice and why it can be a great choice for your health.
One reason that many choose to drink cranberry juice is for its urinary health benefits. Pathogens in your urinary tract can cause urinary tract infections (UTIs). This can result in pain, pain during urination, and even blood in the urine.
It is rich in many nutrients including phytonutrients such as A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs). One of the most common pathogens that causes UTIs is E. coli. The PACs in the it can help prevent E. coli from sticking to the walls of your urinary tract, thus preventing the occurrence of UTIs.
Research suggests that the use of cranberry juice may help to reduce this occurrence in high-risk groups and can be a useful add-on strategy in preventing UTIs (1). Another benefit is that it is a natural diuretic, meaning it helps to flush water through the body and helps assist your body in removing waste products and toxins.
Oxidative stress is when unstable molecules, also known as free radicals, are produced in your body as a result of stress, pollution, and illness. These unstable molecules can damage your cells, causing early cell death, increasing inflammation, and increasing age-related damage to your body. Research has linked many health conditions to damage from oxidative stress, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Cranberry juice, however, is rich in antioxidants. These antioxidants help to neutralize the free radicals, preventing future damage, and can help to reverse damage in your body from oxidative stress.
The phytonutrients in cranberry juice include polyphenols, and these polyphenols may help to improve your heart health. These polyphenols are also antioxidants that can help to reduce and prevent damage from free radicals. This can help increase the antioxidant levels in the blood, helping to prevent and reverse damage. Additionally, it may help to improve cholesterol levels by reducing the amount of "bad" LDL cholesterol in the body.
Not only is cranberry juice rich in polyphenol antioxidants, but it is also rich in vitamin C, another powerful antioxidant. These antioxidants can help to reduce inflammation in your skin and may help to improve acne.
There are a few aspects in which cranberry juice can help to improve your digestive health. The first aspect is helping to promote bowel movements. It can help to hydrate your body. An increase in hydration can help to support bowel movements and prevent constipation. Additionally, it may have a mild laxative effect and assist in bowel movements, helping reduce constipation. One study researching this effect found that supplementation with cranberry juice significantly helped to improve constipation after six weeks (2).
One important marker of digestive health is the population of bacteria within your gut. For optimal gut health, the population of beneficial bacteria within your gut should be higher than the harmful bacteria. There are many factors that may help to assist in enhancing the population of beneficial bacteria in your gut, and one of them may be cranberry juice. Research suggests that this may help to promote the growth of beneficial bacteria within the gut as well as help to reduce inflammation (2).
Another aspect of digestive health that cranberry juice can help with is decreasing the risk of ulcers and stomach cancer. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacteria many individuals have in their digestive tract that can increase the risk of ulcers and stomach cancer. With its high content of PACs, it may assist by decreasing the H. pylori infection. One recent study found that the consumption of cranberry juice twice a day reduced infection rates of H. pylori by 20% (3).
Whilst you may be aware that bacteria line your gut, you may not know that in women, bacteria also reside in the vagina. This bacteria, like in your gut, can be beneficial, but unfortunately, due to illness and conventional medications, harmful bacteria can start to grow. This can cause a range of different symptoms including discharge and pain. Cranberry juice can help to enrich the vagina with beneficial bacteria. It was found to have a prebiotic effect on the bacteria and helped it to grow. Indirectly, this can also helped to enrich the beneficial bacteria in the gut and these bacteria may migrate to the vagina, supporting optimal vaginal health (4).
Cranberry juice can be a refreshing beverage and you can drink it as an accompaniment to your meals. It is generally safe, unless you are allergic to cranberries, and has mild side effects if drank in excess. If you would like to start incorporating it more into your lifestyle, focus on the following:
If you have tried a combination juice and still can't tolerate the taste, there are cranberry supplements available. These can be useful and can help you to receive the benefits of cranberry.
UTC is one example of a cranberry supplement. This supplement contains a combination of different nutrients such as vitamin C, calcium, sodium, potassium, apple cider vinegar, and cranberry. The combination of apple cider vinegar with cranberry extract increases the detox effectiveness and can improve the clearance of waste products and toxins from your body. If you are using it for a UTI, it should be three times daily with a dose of two tbsp. You can reduce the dose to one tbsp when the pain and symptoms reduce and can continue with a one tbsp dose until your symptoms have disappeared. If you would like to use it as maintenance, then you can use the dose of two tbsp every week.
Whilst short-term stress can sometimes be healthy and is a part of everyone's lives, long-term stress can affect your body in many different ways. Your body handles stress through the NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System. However, this system can get depleted by long-term stress, and imbalances within this system can start to occur. This is the onset of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). AFS is the non-Addison's form of adrenal dysfunction, where the body's stress response cannot keep up with life's chronic stressors.
One of the six circuits within the NEM system is the inflammation circuit, which helps to regulate inflammation within your body. Your immune system, gastrointestinal tract, and microbiome make up this circuit. If there is an imbalance in this circuit, it can result in frequent bouts of illness, a decline in gut health, and an increase in the frequency of allergies.
Cranberry juice may help to alleviate symptoms. This is done through its multiple roles which include reducing inflammation through its antioxidant properties and helping to enhance gut health by increasing the beneficial bacteria within the gut.
Cranberry juice is a beverage with many different health benefits. It can support:
It's a beverage that is generally available and can be easy to include in your diet. However, if cranberry juice is not your ideal beverage, a cranberry supplement can assist. If you would like more information on a cranberry supplement, check out UTC by Dr. Lam which also provides D-mannose and apple cider vinegar in addition to other plant-based natural fruits and vegetables to help keep the urinary tract healthy.
Enhance And Protect Your Urinary Health
Xia JY, et al. "Consumption of Cranberry as Adjuvant Therapy for Urinary Tract Infections in Susceptible Populations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis with Trial Sequential Analysis." Plos One, vol. 16, no. 9, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8412316/
Chicas MC, et al. "Effect of Cranberry Juice Supplementation on the Gut Microbiome and Inflammatory Markers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study in Overweight Individuals." Curr Dev Nutr. vol. 6, no. 1, 2022 Jun. pp. 272 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9193896/
Li ZX, et al. "Suppression of Helicobactor Pylori Infection by Daily Cranberry Intake: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial." J Gastroenterol hepaptol, vol. 36, no. 4, 2021 Apr. pp. 927-35. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8246812/
Othaim AA, et al. "Impact of Cranberry Juice Consumption on Gut and Vaginal Microbiota in Postmenopausal Women." Food Front. vol. 2, no. 3, 2021 Sept. pp. 282-93. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/fft2.76
Whilst cranberry juice is rich in nutrients and health benefits, moderation is important. In studies, the amount of cranberry juice used varied between one to two glasses. However, the FDA recommends an 8-ounce glass once a day in the case of UTIs. If you mix cranberry juice with water or other juice to dilute the flavor, you may need to drink more depending on how much actual cranberry juice is in each cup.
