Heart disease is the number one cause of death in the industrialized world. Our hypothesis is that reduced lipid oxidation (oxidized theory of atherosclerosis) can be one mechanism whereby consumption of plant polyphenol antioxidants decrease the risk. CJ given i.p. for 7 days to rats produced an increase in antioxidant capacity in multiple organs and anthocyanins were detect in the organs. Normal hamsters were given 2.7 or 13.5% cranberry juice (CJ) plus an artificial sweetener or control for 4 months. Lipids were not significantly affected except for the high dose group which had significantly lower triglycerides. Oxidation of LDL+VLDL isolated from the plasma was significantly decreased in both the low and high dose CJ groups compared to the control group as measured by three different parameters. The same doses of CJ given to hamsters consuming a high cholesterol/saturated fat diet for 3 months inhibited early atherosclerosis in a dose-response manner. In an acute <i>in vivo</i> human study we gave 10 subjects either 27% CJ prepared from a concentrate with high fructose corn syrup (simulating a commercial product) or high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) alone and followed plasma antioxidant capacity for 7 hours. The capacity decreased at all time points for HFCS indicating an <i>in vivo </i>oxidative stress. The CJ produced an antioxidant effect at all time points. In a chronic dose escalation study we tested 20 hypercholesterolemic subjects. They were measured fasting for body weight, plasma cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL, LDL, antioxidant capacity and lipid peroxides at time zero and after each month of dosing. The subjects drank 1 x 240 ml of CJ/day for a month, 2 x 240 ml and finally 3 x 240 ml. Then the subjects were retested after a washout period of one month. After one month the lipid peroxides were significantly decreased and further declined each month. After two months plasma antioxidant capacity significantly increased. After three months HDL significantly increased. In those subjects consuming CJ with sugar triglycerides significantly increased after two and three months. After the washout, values returned to pre-consumption levels. There was no weight gain during this study. Our animal and human studies indicate that drinking CJ can reduced the risk of heart disease.

Animal and human studies investigating the beneficial effects of cranberry juice on heart disease

255th National Meeting (2018)

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