A research exploring effects of freeze-dried cranberry powder on heart health found daily consumption leads to long lasting benefits of cranberry for heart health.
A group of researchers at King’s College London conducted a clinical trial exploring the effects of cranberry powder on cardiovascular health, where they found that daily intake of 100g freeze-dried cranberry powder improves heart health as its long term benefits. According to the study, the natural compounds in cranberries called polyphenols could improve function of blood vessels and could lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
Many studies in past explored effects of cranberry juice on metabolic and cardiovascular health. In this new study, the team focused specifically on effects of cranberry powder on heart health in men in their middle ages. The study investigated chronic effects of consuming cranberry powder daily for a month. The study involved 45 healthy men, where the scientists assigned half the subjects with drinking 0.16 oz (4.5g) of freeze-dried cranberry powder for two times each day and the to the other half, the team gave placebo powder designed to be similar to the cranberry powder. The observed that 9g of cranberry powder can be equivalent of eating 100g fresh cranberries. The team measured outcome of vascular function by flow-mediated dilation (FMD) metric using an ultrasound technique, in the beginning and end of the month.
The team found improvement in FMD measurements after the first consumption of cranberry powder and also after one month. The team also discovered the link between improvements in FMD and increased polyphenol metabolites in urine and blood samples, which offered some clues regarding the mechanism at play. However, the scientists emphasized on the fact that these findings are not proof of an informal link between FMD improvements and cranberry polyphenols. The findings of this research instead directed the scientists to more specified studies that can conclude the possible direct mechanism.