The North American cranberry, <i>Vaccinium macrocarpon</i>, has one of the highest polyphenol content of commonly consumed fruits. Due to the rich polyphenol and naturally low sugar content, cranberries are also tart and astringent, requiring sweetener for palatability.  Cranberries are rarely consumed raw so most studies were conducted with cranberry juice and powders. Characterization of cranberry compounds in these products is important to understand the well- known health effects including urinary tract, heart and gastrointestinal health. These benefits are thought to be conferred by bioactive flavonoids such as flavan-3-ol, anthocyanins, flavonols and polymeric proanthocyanidins; the Type A and Type B proanthocyanidins. Polyphenols are now thought to have activity beyond suppressing free radicals and instead, are thought to help modulate our body’s antioxidant defense system and reduce oxidative stress.  The health promoting properties of cranberries linked to urinary tract health are thought to be due to the activity of proanthocyanidins, especially type A proanthocyanidins (PACs). The mechanism by which cranberries are efficacious in preventing UTIs has yielded many hypotheses, including preventing bacterial adhesion in the bladder and gut, immune modulation and effects on bacterial fimbriae expression.  Therefore, there is active ongoing research exploring the bioavailability and activity of cranberry metabolites as well as metabolites of gut flora metabolism to understand their contribution to the benefits attributed to cranberries. Recent publications also provide evidence that phenolic acids abundant in cranberry are present after cranberry juice consumption and may help confer putative health benefits. In addition, a new and exciting avenue of research is now focused on cranberry oligosaccharides, recently characterized and identified. More research is needed to understand the contribution of these compounds and their synergies in support of cranberry’s health benefits.<br/>

Cranberries: From polyphenols to polysaccharides

249th National Meeting (2015)

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