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ROCHESTER — A recent study from Kings College London shows that eating about a cup of fresh cranberries a day for a month helps to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease by improving blood vessel function.
After that study hit the news, people reached out to me to see if you get the same health benefits if you eat dried cranberries.
So I got in touch with those researchers and they sent me this info:
"Thank you for featuring our research, and thank you to the listeners for an excellent question. Dried cranberries, fresh cranberries and cranberry powder are all good sources of polyphenols, micronutrients and fiber. Some studies have shown that the polyphenol content of dried cranberries is similar to cranberry powder. It is therefore possible that consumption of dried cranberries will lead to similar benefits in vascular function as we have seen in our study.
"However, the high sugar content of dried cranberries may counteract the beneficial effects, so I would recommend to go for unsweetened dried cranberries, in moderation. Other good sources of polyphenols in the diet are most fruits and vegetables, unprocessed cocoa, tea, coffee, extra virgin olive oil and nuts."
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The research was supported, in part, by the Cranberry Institute . And the original study is published in the journal Food and Function .
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