Eating cranberries every day is good for your heart—and you could start seeing a difference inside a month.
The fruit improves the health of your arteries and enhances blood flow, say researchers from King’s College London.
People who eat half a cup (100g/3.55 ozs) of cranberries every day have improved heart and blood flow function, according to flow-mediated dilation (FMD), a sensitive biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk.
The researchers gave 45 men whole cranberry powder, equivalent to 100 g of fresh cranberries, every day for a month or a placebo. FMD tests on those given the cranberry powder showed “significant improvements” in cardiovascular function just two hours after drinking it, and the improvements continued until the end of the study.
They say the polyphenols in the cranberry powder were responsible for the improved heart and artery function. Cranberries also contain proanthocyanidins, which are unique to the fruit, and are another compound good for the heart.
(Source: Food & Function, 2022; doi: 10.1039/D2FO0008OF)
