A Tiny Berry, A Pound Of Prevention November 21, 2001(The New York Times News Service) George Bush, the one known as No. 41 to distinguish him from his son, No. 43, may be pleased to learn that he can get many more antioxidants by eating cranberries than by eating broccoli, which he put on the map by proclaiming his hatred of it. Just in time for Thanksgiving, researchers have discovered that cranberries have five times the antioxidant content of broccoli, which means they may protect against cancer, stroke and heart disease. The United States and Canada have been producing too many cranberries in recent years and the Cranberry Institute, a trade association for cranberry growers in both countries, has decided that the best way to sell more cranberries is to promote their healthful virtues instead of their taste. And based on research, much of which the industry has funded, those little shiny red berries are jewels of good nutrition, just loaded with the currently fashionable phytochemicals. Even before the recent discovery about the antioxidant properties of cranberries, published on Monday in the peer-reviewed Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, cranberries had a lot going for them. Not the least of which is the scientific confirmation of the old wives' tale about the value of cranberries in reducing the risk of urinary tract infections. Once established only anecdotally, there are now at least eight scientific studies confirming that tale. Research has shown that cranberries keep E. coli from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. Eighty to 90 percent of urinary tract infections are caused by E. coli. But in today's fast-moving scientific world with nonstop discoveries about the virtues of most fruits and vegetables, the only way something as seasonal as a cranberry can distinguish itself is by proving its nutritional prowess on many fronts. Since the news on urinary tract infections, additional research has suggested that cranberries may inhibit human breast cancer cell growth, and reduce the risk of gum disease and of stomach ulcers. With the release of the study on antioxidants in cranberries, from the University of Scranton, this native American berry ranks right up there in the pantheon of highly beneficial fruits and vegetables. Research at three other universities shows that in animal studies cranberries decrease levels of total cholesterol and LDL, or bad cholesterol. Studies are under way to see if the high level of antioxidants in cranberries also protects against atherosclerosis. The greatest antioxidant levels are found in fresh cranberries: processing, storage and heating reduce antioxidant levels. Compared with 19 other common fruits cranberries have the highest level of the antioxidant, phenol. The Cranberry Institute says: "On the basis of serving size, 100 percent cranberry juice, found in some health food stores, has the highest antioxidant content." But the researcher on the study, Joe A. Vinson, a professor of chemistry at Scranton, notes that many people prefer not to drink it in this form because it is extremely sour. (You could add sugar.) Assuming Vinson is correct that most people do not like to drink cranberry juice straight any more than they like to drink lemon juice straight, the best choices are fresh and dried cranberries. The lowest level of antioxidants is found in sweetened cranberry drinks and cranberry cocktails. Even if the Cranberry Institute is not going to talk about taste anymore, I think cranberries are delicious, just because of their tartness. My old recipe for raw cranberry orange relish with a couple of new twists takes 10 minutes to put together and gives you more of those antioxidants than you can get any other way - except for raw cranberry juice, of course. Copyright 2001 The New York Times News Service. All rights reserved. J Agriculture and Food Chemistry Univ of Western Ontario studies mice and cranberries Berries and Resveratrol From the ORAC list Dept of Agriculture From the Ralph Moss Report Study: Cherries are Anti-Inflammatory Tart Cherries Lower Cholesterol/Blood Sugar/Oxidative Stress J Nutrition, 6/02 Wild Blueberry & Serum Antioxidant Status Ellagic Acid In Aerodigestive Tract Lymphocyte Cell Proliferation & Blueberries American Chemical Society, 9/02 Food & Nutrition Briefs, USDA Oct. 1997 Freeze-Dried Black Raspberries & Rat Esophagus Human Trials of Black Raspberry gel for Oral Cancer Ellagic Acid & Cervical Cancer Alcohol Boosted Key Compounds in Strawberries Nutrition Research, 11/02 Persimmon: Fresh vs Dried - Both GOOD J Agric Food Chem, 12/02 Eur J Clin Nutr, 2/03 Int J Food Sci Nutr, 7/03 Abstract #188 Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Res, 2003 Abstract #B182 Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Res, 2003 Nutr & Cancer, 12/03 Am J Clin Nutr, 8/04 J Agric Food Chem, 2/05 Posted 9/05 Information about the Acai berry various sources Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. 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