Benefits of cranberry juice

Fruit and vegetables are very important parts of one’s dailydiet because they provide a good balance of vitamins and minerals and help inreducing the risk of various chronic diseases. Cranberries are very healthy fruits.

When ingested in the form ofjuice, they should be pure and unsweetened in order to keep the most important nutrients and antioxidants. Cranberry juice is a very beneficialsubstitute for the more common fruit juices like orange, apple and pineapplejuice.

Cranberries grow in shrubs in their wild form or on vines intheir more common cultivated form. They have a characteristic red color and aslightly bitter taste. The U.S. and Canada grow a variety that is larger than itsEuropean counterpart. A cup of cranberries measures approximately 50 calories.Cranberries are very rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, dietary fiber, manganeseand vitamin K. They are very low in fat, since their total fat composition equals0.1 grams and they contain no cholesterol at all.

The most significant health benefit of cranberry juice liesin the fact that it is able to treat and prevent various infections of the urinarytract and that makes it stand out among all other fruit juices. An agentcalled hippuric acid acidifies the urine, and with help from the other compounds,reduces the amount of E-coli bacteria to a minimum and mixes them with urine sothey just get washed away. One glass of cranberry juice per day reduces therisk of urinary infections by up to 90 percent and prevents the bladder fromcystitis.

Research has led to the discovery of many otherimportant health benefits of cranberry juice. It is very efficient in increasingthe levels of good cholesterol and reducing the levels of bad cholesterol.Large amounts of quinic acid found in the cranberry juice help in preventing the development of kidney stones.

A compound extracted from cranberry juicecalled proanthocyanidin very powerfully suppresses the virus of genital herpes.Cranberry juice is also very protective against macular degeneration whichaffects many people in old age. It also prevents decay, gum disease, anddental plaque development.

A glass of cranberry juice per day will destroy alarge number of H.pylori bacteria, which is one of the main causes of stomachulcers and cancer.

If one cannot bear the sometimes overly bitter taste ofcranberry juice, it can be diluted with water for a morepleasant taste.