Cranberries and cranberry juice, Vaccinium macrocarpon L.

Courtesy of The Cranberry Institute

With the cranberry harvest concluded in October throughout the northern US and southern Canada, processing is underway to make juice and food products of this

popular scarlet and tart berry, Vaccinium macrocarpon.

And can any Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner be complete without cranberries?

To participate in Cranberry Week, this essay takes a glimpse of research trends

on potential health benefits of cranberries.

Look over the excellent review for Cranberry Week by the Mateljan Foundation, publisher of a favorite website called World's Healthiest Foods

click here for the Cranberry Essay

Here's a recipe for cranberry sauce from WH Foods! Click the link.

A Few Cranberry FAQs

Where are cranberries grown?

Cranberries are farmed on some 40,000 acres (16,200 hectares) across

the northern United States and Canada. Wisconsin is the largest US producer

and British Columbia is Canada's top cranberry province.

What is a bog and why are cranberries grown in bogs?

The most common harvest method for cranberries is by use of a bog, an intentionally flooded area where cranberries are grown on vines in sandy, marshy soil

preferred by the cranberry plant.

After the bog is flooded and the fruit is "beaten" off the vines using a specialized harvester, the floating berries are corralled and loaded onto trucks.

More on bog harvesting from Ocean Spray, click for the link

Why are cranberries red?

An unripe cranberry actually is white (“white” cranberry juice) but turns red during the ripening phase when the berry synthesizes anthocyanins and other pigments in a large chemical group called phenolics.

The pigments serve several purposes:

1. attract birds and animals to consume the fruit and disperse seeds, facilitating regeneration

2. adding acidity to the berry's skin, pigments repel microbes, fungi and

plant viruses to maintain plant health

3. berry skin pigments have antioxidant properties, protecting the fruit from solar radiation and oxygen radicals produced during photosynthesis

What phenolics are present in cranberries?

There is a diversity of phenolic pigments present in cranberries, perhaps more than a dozen different kinds in each berry. The best known are called proanthocyanidins and tannins that give cranberries their tart flavor or “astringence”, a property important for protecting the cranberry fruit in its growing environment.

What research trends are showing cranberry's possible health benefits for humans?

A brief list. This is an active research field in medical and food science

with many other properties under study

* anti-adhesion, anti-bacterial properties of cranberry proanthocyanidins and tannins in urinary tract infections, overall kidney health, periodontal disease and gastric ulcers

* activity in vitro and animal models against several types of cancer

(breast, skin, colon, prostate, lung, brain, oral)

* preliminary laboratory evidence for inhibiting mechanisms of

heart disease and formation of vascular plaques.

Should we wait for the clinical evidence for health benefits before deciding to use antioxidant-rich fruit like cranberries in our diet?

I say "No", let's enjoy them now and gain the probable benefits while

we wait for the research to be completed.

Whether in a sauce, juice, pie, cocktail or craisins,

boost your antioxidant intake and enjoy your cranberries!

Dr. Paul
The Berry Doctor