4 Vital Ways Where Cranberry Juice Prove Effective for Gut Health

Cranberries are loaded with nutrients and provide health benefits that go far beyond the well-established support they offer with urinary tract infections. An expanding body of research indicates that the use of cranberries as part of a healthy diet can help maintain a wholesome population of gut microbiota.  Healthy gut microbiota can ensure protection against germs, assist with immunity, and even inhibit release of inflammatory substances.

While cranberries are the archetypical Thanksgiving fruit, their host of health benefits as a functional food are available year-round. Cranberries contain A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs), which assist in decreasing bacterial adhesion to support a healthy gut bacteria, and help prevent H. pylori, that leads to gastric ulcers. PACs inhabit in wideranging cranberry products from fresh, frozen, and dried cranberries to cranberry juice and certain cranberry supplements.

Here are some ways where consuming cranberry juice for gut health is found to be effective:

PACs Help Reduce H. Pylori Infection Rate

Drinking cranberry juice that contains 44 mg of proanthocyanidins (PACs) per serving twice a day may be a natural, supplemental management strategy for adults to help defend against an infection with H. pylori. To get your 44 mg PACs twice a day, have ½ cup 100% pure cranberry juice in the morning and evening. Be at liberty to mix it into another type of juice or soda.

PACs Help Gut Bacteria

Cranberries contain A-type PACs which help diminish bacterial adhesion to support healthy gut bacteria, and along with it desist urinary tract infections. Fresh, frozen, and dried cranberries, cranberry juice and certain cranberry supplements are some of the best sources of PACs.

Dried Cranberries Improve Gut Bacteria

A recent study of 10 subjects deduced that sweetened dried cranberries had a positive impact on the natural bacteria in the gut.

Other Healthful Cranberry Compounds

Prebiotics are one of the most highly researched dietary factors connected with improvements in gut health. They are found to support the growth and activity of gut bacteria. Cranberries are full of carbohydrates called oligosaccharides that are believed to have prebiotic effects on gut and urinary tract bacteria.

There is increasing evidence that the phytochemicals found in cranberries play a critical role in digestive health. Evidence for the digestive health benefits of cranberry juice for gut health, apart from several other benefits, was reported in, a research from 2018 in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

The Conclusion

Some chemicals in cranberries are found to help fight viruses and bacteria. A recently conducted research by scientists discovered that cranberries inhibited the growth of seven bacterial microbes. The research did not assess whether cranberries or cranberry juice could check infection with these microbes in humans. Likewise, another research found that cranberries could fight certain viruses, including norovirus, which is the most prevalent cause of food-borne illness. The research paper conjectured that curbing the production of another bacterium called H. pylori in the stomach, is thought to promote digestive health. The researchers also concluded that there is a need for deeper study on cranberry juice.