Cranberry Juice Effects on Health

Abstract

Cranberries (Vacciunium macrocapron) for millenia have been a part of the diet of North Americans and used for medicinal purposes in folk medicine (1). Although cranberries are most familiar to consumers in North America, close relatives of the cranberry are also consumed in Northern Europe and Asia. In North America and Europe, cranberries are primarily processed and consumed in the form of cranberry juices, cranberry juice cocktails, and cranberry fruit drinks, with the oldest cranberry juice recipe dating back to 1683 (1). Cranberries have only been cultivated for the last 150 yr; therefore, relative to grapes and other cultivated fruits, there is little genetic diversity (2). The typical annual crop size is approx 500 million pounds, with 60% being used directly in beverages, 35% being processed into sauces and concentrates that are mostly made into beverages, and 5% being consumed fresh (3). Cranberries are popular with consumers because of their bittertart taste, and because of their positive implication for health as a functional food, they are one of the first functional foods in America. As a functional food, cranberry juice is associated with protection from urinary tract infections (UTIs). Cranberry juice may also be useful for promoting cardiovascular health and inhibiting cancer development, and suggestions have also been made regarding cranberry applications for improving oral and gastric health.