what is in Cranberry juice, that makes it so good for you?

Answer 1

About Cranberries
(from The Cranberry Institute - link below)

History

The North American cranberry industry has a long and distinguished history. Native peoples used cranberries as food, in ceremonies and medicinally. Revolutionary War veteran Henry Hall planted the first commercial cranberry beds in Dennis Massachusetts in 1816. Today cranberries are farmed on approximately 40,000 acres (16,200 hectares) across the northern United States and Canada.

Botany

The North American cranberry, Vaccinium macrocarpon, Aiton, is a member of the family Ericaceae that is composed of about 1350 species including Scotch Heather (Calluna vulgaris), Rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.) and Blueberries (Vaccinium augustifolium, V. corymbosum). Cranberries are a low-growing, vining, woody perennial plant with small, alternate, ovate leaves. The plant produces stolons (horizontal stems) up to 6 feet (2 m) long. Short vertical branches, or uprights, 2 to 8 inches (5 to 20 cm) in height, grow from buds on the stolons and these can be either vegetative or fruiting. Each fruiting upright may contain as many as seven flowers. Pollination is primarily via domestic honey bees.

Harvest Information

The majority of cranberries are harvested between September and October, and occurs in one of two ways. By far the most common is wet or water harvest. The beds are flooded and the fruit is "beaten" off the vine using a specialized harvester. The floating fruit is then corralled and loaded onto trucks for delivery to a receiving station. Wet harvested fruit is used for processed cranberry products like juice and sauce. Dry harvested fruit is "combed" from the vines using a mechanized picking machine. No water is involved during this process. The fruit is loaded into bins and shipped to receiving stations where it is cleaned and packaged as fresh fruit. To see pictures of both types of cranberry harvest visit the photo gallery.

Consumer Information

Scientific research is revealing how healthful cranberries can be. Packed with nutrients like antioxidants and other natural compounds, cranberries are a great choice for the health conscious consumer. Cranberries are available in a wide variety of forms including fresh fruit, juice, sauce, and dried. Juices and sauce are available year-round at your grocery retailer. Fresh fruit is generally available from September to December. Include more cranberries in your diet today and start eating healthier today.




~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~


The Benefits of Cranberry Juice
Published on: May 10, 2003

by Melissa T. Shultz

You may have heard that drinking cranberry juice helps ward away urinary infections. Now comes more good reasons to drink up – a new study finds that the juice can lower the risk of heart disease for people with high cholesterol, and provide antioxidant benefits.

This is the first scientific proof that the juice, long thought to have cholesterol-lowering benefits, actually does. For the study, researchers measured the cholesterol levels of 19 people with high cholesterol, who had a risk of heart disease. Each participant drank 27% pure cranberry juice, commonly found in supermarkets. The participants were divided into two groups. Ten drank cranberry juice with artificial sweetener, 9 with sugar. For the first month, each consumed one eight-ounce glass a day, for the second month, two glasses, and for the third, three glasses. Their cholesterol was tested each month.

Three glasses per day raised good cholesterol 10%, which in turn decreased their risk of heart disease by 40%. The antioxidant benefits were noticeable with just one or two glasses a day. Antioxidants are dietary substances that in small amounts will slow or prevent the oxidation process. This means they can help prevent or fix damage to your cells. They may also lower your risk for cancer or infection and improve how your immune system functions. In addition to cranberry juice, dried cranberries contain antioxidants, more than most fruits. Grape juice is also a good source (though not as good as cranberry juice).

The bottom line: Drinking anywhere from one to three glasses a day of cranberry juice provides health benefits. The antioxidant effects of cranberry juice may last for seven hours. All the findings confirm recommendations that more fruit and vegetables be part of your everyday diet.

Answer 2

Mike M has the right answer. If you are trying home remedies to cure a urinary tract infection try this because it actually works and fast. Drink a teaspoon of cream of tartar-found in the spices section of supermarket-in a glass of water three or four times a day for three days. You should begin to feel relief within hours of the first glass. Dont know why. But it works a hundred times better than cranberry juice.

Answer 3

cranberries naturally detox your digestive system. I think that the cranberries itself is what does it. Not anything else they put in the juice. To get the most from cranberries..try the herbal pills you can buy them at any health food store. I think using the pills or drinking the juice works better for bladder and urinary tract infections than antibiotics

Answer 4

antioxidants, and if it's 100% cranberry juice, not wishy washy with sugar, then the acidity can help keep infections away. Good source of Vitamin C too.

Answer 5

Yep it is Cranberries, it is a good way to stop bladder infections, Boys if it burns when you pee, try drinking this, it works.

Answer 6

antioxidants that help prevent things like heart disease and cancer. and for some reason, though i honestly am not sure why, cranberries are great for urinary tract health and prevent/help heal urinary tract infections

Answer 7

cranberries

Answer 8

Antioxidants and its nutritional value

Answer 9

helps with baldder in infections particularly in Women

Answer 10

there is an enzyme cant remember the name of it but it prevents bacteria from sticking to your urinary track preventing and help curing UTI's