QUEBEC (PasseportSanté.net) August 22, 2005 – Cranberries have not yet revealed that they can have a positive effect on cardiovascular health. This is what Charles Couillard, a leading authority in the field, said at a conference on the health effects of cranberries, which was held in Quebec City on August 18 and 19.
In front of an audience of 150 people, mainly from industry and scientific research, Mr. Couillard presented the results of two recent research projects that he carried out or supervised as an assistant professor at the Institute of nutraceuticals and functional foods (INAF) from Laval University. These scientific studies sought to determine if the important antioxidant activity which characterizes the small red fruit could be beneficial for the health of the heart.
In a study of 21 men1, it was observed that the daily consumption of approximately 600 ml of cranberry juice – during 14 days – considerably increased the antioxidant activity of the blood plasma. Conversely, bad cholesterol (LDL), associated with atherosclerosis, had decreased. However, the authors claim that these two effects cannot be linked to the consumption of the juice.
From this data, the researchers began a second phase that lasted four weeks. This time, they targeted the effects of cranberry juice’s antioxidant activity on fat levels in 30 overweight men. The results, which have not yet been published2, demonstrated an average weight loss of about 2 kg in subjects, a decrease in their body mass index, as well as a reduction of nearly 2 cm in their waist circumference. These metabolic changes are “similar to the effect of drugs,” confirms Mr. Couillard. But they can’t be attributed with certainty to the potential role of cranberries, as researchers both increased the duration of the study as well as the amount of juice used.
According to Charles Couillard, “the evidence is still too sparse” to be able to claim that cranberry juice – without added sugar – acts positively on the risks of cardiovascular disorders (TCV). “The effect of cranberries seems to be longer term,” he says. Also, its benefits seem to help people most at risk for CVD, such as the elderly and obese people.
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Ruel G, Pomerleau S, Couture P, Lamarche B, Couillard C, Changes in plasma antioxidant capacity and oxidized low-density lipoprotein levels in men after short-term cranberry juice consumption, Metabolism, July 2005, Vol. 54, No 7, 856-61.
2. Ruel G et al, British Journal of nutrition (2005) submitted for publication.
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