SUPERFOOD

Tart cranberries are full of vitamins, minerals and other nutrients

’Tis the season for this festive fruit! Familiar to us in delicious sauces or jellies on holiday tables, cranberries can also be eaten raw in salads, baked into breads and muffins or sipped as juice. Native to the banks of marshes and wetlands in northeastern North America, the berries are harvested when they float to the surface of the water in the fall and are exposed to more direct sunlight, which adds to their nutritional value. This tart superfood is full of healthful vitamins, minerals and other powerful phytonutrients.

• Boss Berries: Cranberries may guard against inflammation and offer protection against disease. Research indicates their phytonutrients may lower levels of bad cholesterol while increasing good cholesterol, decrease stiffness in blood vessels and lower blood pressure. Rich in vitamins C and E, cranberries’ antioxidants help boost the immune system and can protect against chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease and cancer. They also contain significant amounts of salicylic acid, a component of aspirin. Regular consumption of cranberries can increase absorption of dietary salicylic acid in the body; salicylic acid has anti-inflammatory effects that may help reduce swelling and prevent blood clots.

• Bacteria Blockers: Distinct from other berries, cranberries’ bioactive compounds are rich in A-type proanthocyanidins (PACS), in contrast to the B-type PACS present in most other fruit. Also called condensed tannins, these A-type PACS seem to be responsible for the fruits’ efficacy as a natural antimicrobial, and may have the potential to prevent biofilm formation, the precursor to an infection, by blocking bacteria from attaching to cells in the body. This explains why cranberries have long been upheld as a preventive treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIS). UTIS are among the most common bacterial infections, especially among women, and cranberries’ PACS may prevent the intestinal bacterium E. coli from adhering to the lining of the bladder and urinary tract. These unique plant compounds have also been found to prevent the bacterium

He li cob act er pylori( a major cause of stomach cancer, stomach inflammation and ulcers) from attaching to the lining of the stomach, and to prevent bacteria in the mouth like the cavity-causing Streptococcus mu tans from sticking to the teeth.

• Mighty Microbiome: The food we eat not only nourishes our bodies but also feeds beneficial bacteria in the intestines, our microbiome. Prebiotics are molecules we eat but cannot digest; they may promote the growth and health of microorganisms in our digestive system. Special sugars contained in cranberries’ cell walls, called xyloglucans, can’t be digested by the human body itself; however, beneficial bacteria in our intestines can break down these sugars into useful molecules and feed our microbiome. Other compounds derived from cranberries, such as salicylate, are also associated with beneficial modulation of human gut microbiota. Cranberries may help enrich the microbiota of the gut by increasing populations of bacteria like Bacteroidaceae, generally regarded as important members of a healthy microbiome, while reducing populations of E. coli, which are associated with Crohn’s disease and inflammatory bowel disease.