Taking cranberry extract appears to promote the growth of healthy gut bacteria and help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Positive effects can be seen after just four days of use.
A Canadian research team from Université Laval has evaluated the content of (poly)phenols and oligosaccharides in a commercial cranberry extract, as well as the effects on the gut microbiota and possible health benefits. The corresponding study results are published in the specialist magazine “npj Biofilms and Microbiomes”.
Cranberries offer many health benefits
Cranberries and cranberry juice are associated with extensive health benefits. The focus of previous research work was primarily on its use against urinary tract infections, and last year the preventive effect of cranberry juice was clearly proven for the first time.
Researchers at Kings College London have also been able to prove that cranberries strengthen cardiovascular health. The effect is primarily attributed to the healthy ingredients.
Polyphenols and oligosaccharides
Cranberries have a high content of polyphenols, particularly in the form of tannins, and they also contain high concentrations of oligosaccharides, which are thought to contribute to their bioactivity, explains the Canadian research team.
The team now examined possible positive effects on intestinal flora and health in 28 participants who took a cranberry supplement in capsule form twice a day (morning and evening), which was equivalent to taking 60 grams of fresh cranberries.
At the beginning of the experiment and after four days, plasma, urine and stool samples were taken from the participants, the researchers explain.
Healthy bacteria benefit
It has become clear that the polyphenols and oligosaccharides contained strengthen the growth of bacteria of the genus Bifidobacterium. This in turn is associated with a reduced risk of diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases.
“Usually these bacteria are stimulated by eating fiber. “We observed the same effect with cranberry extract, but at a dose that was almost 20 times lower,” said study author Jacob Lessard-Lord.
Taking cranberry extract also stimulated the growth of the bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila, which plays an important role in the intestinal mucosa and helps reduce inflammation and strengthen the intestinal barrier.
Protection against the consequences of unhealthy eating
These effects are of particular interest when it comes to counteracting the harmful effects of a Western diet, as such a diet alters the intestinal microbiota, causes inflammation of the mucous membrane and impairs the integrity of the intestinal barrier, explains study leader Professor Yves Desjardins.
The intestinal barrier plays a crucial role in protecting the body from bacteria present in the intestine and the change in the intestinal barrier enables the passage of lipopolysaccharides that come from the intestinal microbiota.
This process is known as metabolic endotoxemia and is a crucial factor in the development and progression of inflammation and metabolic diseases.
“The constant inflammation caused by the presence of lipopolysaccharides in the body can lead to several chronic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease,” explains Professor Desjardins.
Anti-inflammatory environment
By stimulating the growth of Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium, the intestinal flora regenerates and creates an anti-inflammatory environment. In addition, the function of the intestinal barrier is strengthened.
The blood tests also found positive changes in short-chain fatty acids caused by the cranberry extracts, with the acetate ratio decreasing and the butyrate ratio increasing, the team reports.
Effects after just four days
What is particularly promising is that the positive effects of the cranberry extract appeared after just four days. Although all participants benefited from the intake, there were individual differences, which the researchers associate with different microbiota signatures.
Future studies will therefore need to find out which microbiota signatures respond best to the cranberry extracts. However, the study results already clearly speak in favor of regular consumption of cranberries or the use of corresponding cranberry extracts. (fp)
