In Honor of Thanksgiving: 4 Health Benefits of Cranberries

In Honor of Thanksgiving: 4 Health Benefits of Cranberries
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Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away and cranberries are a staple of many traditional Thanksgiving feasts. For as long as I can remember, we have had a terrific cranberry bread that has become one expectation of my day. That’s wonderful, but I hope this post convinces you to indulge in cranberries year round because they have  enormous health benefits.

 4 Health Benefits of Cranberries

1. Protection against Urinary Tract Infections

The Cranberry is well known for it’s ability to help prevent UTIs, especially if the infections are recurrent. How does cranberry juice help prevent urinary tract infections? It contains a significant amount of proanthocyanidins (condensed tannins that are powerful antioxidants), which helps reduce the adhesion of  E. coli, responsible for the majority of UTIs, to the urinary tract walls. This process helps to fight off infections.

*Chinese herbal medicine is also very helpful in treating and preventing reoccurring urinary tract infections

Cranberry juice ranks among the highest in disease fighting antioxidants. (Stephanie Frey/iStock/Thinkstock)
Cranberry juice ranks among the highest in disease fighting antioxidants. Stephanie Frey/iStock/Thinkstock
Jennifer Dubowsky
Jennifer Dubowsky
Author
Jennifer Dubowsky is a licensed acupuncturist with a practice in downtown Chicago, Illinois, since 2002. Jennifer maintains a popular blog about health and Chinese Medicine and In 2013, Jennifer released her first book, Adventures in Chinese Medicine: Acupuncture, Herbs and Ancient Ideas for Today.
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