Cranberries are small red fruits associated with multiple health benefits, mainly attributed to their high polyphenol content.
If their consumption is often associated with a reduced risk of urinary infections, researchers from Laval University and the Institute of Nutrition and Functional Foods (INAF) in Quebec attribute new virtues to it.
From 4 days of treatment
Quebec scientists asked forty people to take cranberry extract, equivalent to 60 grams of the fresh fruit, morning and evening.
After just four days, plasma, urine and stool samples already showed positive changes in the participants’ gut microbiota.
Researchers found that cranberry extract stimulated the growth of beneficial bacteria such as Bifidobacterium, which is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.
“Usually, these bacteria are stimulated by the consumption of dietary fiber,” explain the authors. “We observed the same effect with cranberry extract, but at a dose almost 20 times lower.”
In addition, cranberry promoted the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila, a bacteria essential for the health of the intestinal mucosa.
It helps the microbiota to regenerate and recreates an anti-inflammatory environment. However, “constant inflammation (…) is a precursor of several chronic diseases”, underline the researchers.
If the scientists are delighted with “a beneficial effect after only four days”, they now intend to study the impact of the extract in the longer term.
Source: Laval University
