Cranberries Save Lives and Prevent Memory Loss

The problem with most health food is that it is processed, mutated for production, and diluted until the original value is washed out. Not so with cranberries.

Cranberries contain vitamin C and antioxidants. Cranberries are in the top ten antioxidant-dense foods. Antioxidants stabilize free radicals that damage cells, leading to heart disease or cancer. The body is able to make its own antioxidants, but stress diminishes the body's ability to do so.

The antioxidants in cranberries contain a type called flavonoids (aka phenols). These antioxidants lower bad cholesterol and fight atherosclerosis.

Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins (aka PACs or compressed tannins). They keep some harmful bacteria from adhering to both cells and teeth. Dr. Amy Howell of Rutgers University states that the PACs in the cranberries account for their ability to prevent urinary tract infections. Other research claims that they help reduce plaque, and prevent H. pylori from attaching to the lining of your stomach, resulting in ulcers which are linked to gastric conditions, including stomach cancer.

Curretn research suggests that cranberries may help prevent viral infections, asthma, and neurological effects of aging like memory loss and coordination decline. The National Institutes of Health include cranberries as part of the Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine's research into the medicinal value of food and supplements.

Here is more nutritional info for plain, fresh cranberries.