Cranberry Juice Benefits: Is cranberry juice good for you?

Cranberry juice is an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin E. It’s also a good source of most B vitamins and vitamins K and A, as well as many minerals and antioxidants. It can help maintain immune, cardiovascular, skin, and organ health among other things.

Pure cranberry juice is often touted as a cure for urinary tract infections (UTIs). Some evidence suggests it may help prevent UTIs in some people, which is attributed to the antibacterial properties of the many antioxidants that cranberries contain.

You can make jams, spreads, dips, and whatnot with these delicious berries. But, one cranberry product that possesses equal therapeutic value as the fruit is cranberry juice.

Pure cranberry juice is great for your heart, kidneys, liver, vagina, urinary tract, immune system, and GI tract.

Nutritional Value

Cranberries are healthy fruits with a whopping 85% water content. Cranberry juice has high nutritional value because of its chemical composition.

It has a relatively low sugar content and a high amount of organic acids, vitamins, minerals, flavonoids and anthocyanins. It is packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

The nutritional value of cranberry juice is as follows:

Nutrients Components	Value/100 g
Energy	46 kcal
Fats	0.13 g
Protein	0.39 g
Sugars	12.1 g
Carbohydrates	12.2 g
Fiber	0.1 mg
Zinc	0.1 mg
Selenium	0.1 µg
Iron	0.25 mg
Sodium	2 mg
Copper	0.055 mg
Calcium	8 mg
Magnesium	6 mg
Potassium	77 mg
Phosphorus	13 mg
Vitamin B2	0.018 mg
Vitamin E	12 mg
Vitamin B1	0.009 mg
Vitamin C	9.3 mg
Vitamin B3	0.091 mg
Vitamin B9	1 µg
Vitamin B6	0.052 mg
Vitamin K	5.1 µg
Vitamin A	45 IU
Beta-carotene	27 µg

Health Benefits of Drinking Cranberry Juice:

It Helps Promote Heart Health

Cranberry juice was seen to impact the heart positively. It does so in numerous ways, starting with helping a person lose cholesterol from their body, which has a long-term impact in fighting against heart diseases.

Moving on, consuming cranberry juice was also seen to help people unclog their arteries that had been filled with lipid or cholesterol and were posing a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis.

It Helps Prevent Urinary Tract Infections:

According to research, cranberry juice is effective for preventing urinary tract infections.

Cranberry juice does this by helping keep the harmful bacteria and microbes away from sticking to the bladder walls, which may then cause them to start their infectious process.

This way, the risk of UTIs is prevented by up to 30% after drinking cranberry juice regularly.

It Could Help Protect Against Cancer

Cranberries are seen to be enriched with phenolic compounds. These phenolic compounds are greatly beneficial when dealing with a deadly disease like cancer.

This compound helps inhibit the growth of cancerous cells in the body and, in case cancer has already been diagnosed, helps stop its progression to worse states.

It Boosts the Hormonal Health

Cranberry juice is not just a refreshing drink. In reality, it has been seen to boost your internal health and functions and make you feel all good and refreshed in no time.

In terms of hormonal health, cranberry juice was seen to especially help women dealing with PCOS. It helped lower the testosterone levels in the bodies of those women who had PCOS.

When testosterone was lowered, it ultimately led to a decrease in the symptoms and risks of PCOS such as infertility, excessive hair growth, acne, etc.

It Helps Fight Constipation

In the majority of people, constipation develops due to dehydration. People do not drink enough water, and as a result, the accumulated stool is not softened enough to pass outside the body easily.

However, if these people drink cranberry juice regularly, then they may escape the frustrations of dealing with constipation because cranberry juice helps fight off dehydration and also has a mild laxative effect, which could cause the stool to pass away easily.

It Helps During Colds and Flu

Thanks to the Vitamin C contained in cranberries, the immune system gets the necessary kick that it needs to function well and in a way that helps reduce the severity of the symptoms of common colds and flu.

However, keep in mind that cranberries do not prevent colds and flu from happening; they just tone down the symptoms. This could be of great help as colds and flu could be greatly disarming for the people suffering from them.

It Helps Reduce the Risk of Stomach Ulcers

Drinking cranberry juice regularly was found to stop the growth and progression of Helicobacter pylori, which is an important cause of stomach and duodenal ulcers.

Stomach ulcers are very painful. And once they appear, they persist for longer times while causing major inconvenience to the affected person. Cranberry juice proves to be a helpful product when dealing with problems like these.

It Keeps Your Eyes Healthy

With lots of vitamins and their important nutrients, cranberry juice becomes of great help when keeping the eyes healthy and the vision brighter and better than ever.

It promotes healthy blood circulation to and from the eyes and keeps the blood vessels healthy and optimal.

It Improves Your Dental Health

Cranberry juice is considered a blessing in disguise for people dealing with oral health issues and dental problems.

All of this is possible due to the Proanthocyanidins contained in cranberry juice. This nutrient is the major component that helps fight off dental issues and prevent tooth decay.

Firstly, it prevents unhealthy bacteria in the mouth from sticking to the teeth. This prevents plaque from forming on the teeth. Secondly, it reduces damage to the tooth enamel by reducing the formation of acids in the mouth.

It Promotes Healthy Hair

The vitamins A and C contained in the cranberry juice help people with hair fall and other similar hair-related issues cope with this problem easily.

Both these vitamins promote hair growth while also making them shiny and healthier in appearance. This makes it a life-saving product for hair fall, but only if used for longer periods.

It Helps You Sleep Better

Time for all the insomniacs to take notes! Cranberry juice is enriched with enormous quantities of Melatonin.

This Melatonin helps people sleep better as it is popularly known as the ‘sleep hormone.’ Therefore, some people even go on and drink cranberry juice before their bedtime so that it helps them go to sleep earlier and better than before.

It Helps Maintain Blood Pressure

Cranberry juice has a significant effect on the blood pressure of those individuals who often deal with abnormal blood pressure levels throughout the day.

In these people, the flavonoid contained in cranberry juice helps dilate or ‘soften’ the arteries, which helps in increasing the blood flow through them.

With the restoration of the normal blood flow, the blood pressure is seen to return to its optimal state when you are a regular drinker of cranberry juice.

Benefits of Cranberry juice for Women

Cranberries are good for more than Thanksgiving sauce. These red berries are loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that offer a wide range of health benefits. Let’s explore what cranberry juice can do for women’s health in particular.

Reduced Risk of Breast Cancer:

As with other forms of juice, cranberry juice offers a number of important vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C. According to the USDA, one 8-ounce serving of cranberry juice provides about 24 milligrams of vitamin C or 30 to 35 percent of daily recommendations.

BreastCancer.org reports that women who consume large amounts of vitamin C may be less likely to develop certain types of cancer, including breast cancer.

Unfortunately, people who have already been diagnosed with breast cancer may not benefit from the use of vitamin C, as it can interfere with the function of certain forms of cancer therapy.

Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections:

Cranberries contain high levels of compounds called proanthocyanidins (PACs). These PACs can inhibit the growth of bacteria, making cranberry juice a good natural remedy for urinary tract infections (UTIs). In fact some research has shown that drinking cranberry juice can help reduce the recurrence of UTIs.

However, there’s no evidence that cranberry juice can treat UTIs. If you have a UTI, see your doctor.

Improves Postmenopausal Health:

Menopause is associated with unpleasant symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and an increased risk of UTIs. Cranberry juice may help alleviate some of these symptoms.

Animal studies suggest that cranberry juice may help improve vaginal health after menopause by reducing inflammation and boosting collagen production.

Cranberry juice may also help reduce the risk of UTIs in postmenopausal women. This is likely due to the PACs in cranberries, which can inhibit the growth of bacteria. More human research is needed to confirm these effects.

Alleviates Premenstrual Symptoms:

PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, is a group of symptoms that occur in the days leading up to a woman’s period. PMS symptoms can include cramps, brittle nails, anxiety, and depression.

Cranberry juice may help alleviate some of these symptoms. This is likely due to the high levels of antioxidants in cranberries, which can help reduce inflammation.

This beverage also contains decent levels of magnesium, which can help alleviate cramps, lower back pain, anxiety, and other PMS symptoms.

To get the most benefits, drink cranberry juice regularly in the days leading up to your period.

Cranberry juice side effects

Cranberry juice has a kick because it is acidic. This chemical property means it can temporarily make conditions like acid reflux worse.

It can also briefly irritate your gums and lips, or even some people’s bowels. If consumed in very large quantities, it can lead to kidney stones, so it’s important not to overdo the juice.

Anyone on the blood thinner Warfarin should steer away from the juice because it has been found to magnify the medication’s effects.

Precautions to Take with Cranberry Juice:

Drinking cranberry juice in a moderate dosage is safe. However, general precautions must be followed.

People who take blood-thinning medicine must be cautious because of the possible interaction between cranberry juice and enzyme metabolizing blood thinners.

People with kidney-related issues should limit their consumption of cranberry juice. It might cause side effects.

There is no sufficient information available to show the safe use of cranberry juice for breastfeeding and pregnant women. Thus, during these phases, women should consult their doctor before having it as a herb.

People should be cautious while giving it to children and older people due to their weak immunity and might develop reactions in the body.

Before consulting, one should never use cranberry juice or any other herb to self-medicate themselves.

How to make Cranberry juice

Here is how you can prepare cranberry juice at home in an easy and simple manner.

Take a bowl full of cranberries and wash them properly
In a pan heat 3 cups of water along with cranberries and bring it to a boil
Once the mixture reaches a boiling point, reduce the heat, cover the pan and leave it to simmer for 20 minutes or till the berries start to pop
Once the cranberries become soft, take the pan off the heat and strain the mixture through a sieve
Keep pressing the mixture with the back of the spoon to squeeze out all the juices from the cranberries
Now return the pan in which the strained liquid has been accumulated to the gas and add 3-4 tablespoons of sugar to it
Let the mix boil and stir in between at regular intervals to avoid the liquid from sticking to the pan
You can add a few drops of lemon juice also at this stage to cut through the tartness of the juice
Once the sugar has dissolved, take the pan off the heat and keep it aside to cool
Transfer the cooled juice into a pitcher and put it in the refrigerator to chill
Drink or Serve it