Cranberries Protect Brain From Stroke Damage
Nutrition Review
By
VRP Staff
Numerous studies have established the benefits of cranberries for supporting urinary health. Recently researchers have also shown that cranberries help to raise HDL (“good cholesterol”) blood levels and increase plasma antioxidant levels, both important factors for reducing the risk of heart disease. Now new laboratory findings suggest that cranberries are particularly effective in aiding recovery from stroke, especially during early stages when severe cellular damage occurs.
In a presentation delivered to the September 8, 2003 meeting of the American Chemical Society, researchers described how cultivated rat neurons were divided into groups and exposed to varying concentrations of cranberry extract. Following treatment to simulate the effects of stroke the researchers discovered that cranberry significantly reduced brain cell death. In fact, neurons exposed to the higher concentrations of cranberry had only a fifty percent reduction in the number of brain cells that died, in comparison to cells that did not receive cranberry extract.
“This study shows that cranberries have the potential to protect against brain cell damage that occurs during a stroke event,” said Catherine Neto, an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth and a lead investigator in the study. “It may not stop a stroke from occurring initially, but it may reduce the severity of a stroke,” she added.
226th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society, Sep 8, 2003.
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