OCCURRENCE OF PHYTOCHEMICALS IN CRANBERRY (VACCINIUM MACROCARPON AIT.) FOR ALL-ROUND WELLNESS
S. Nazeer Haider Zaidi, S. H. A. Kazmi, S. Rais Haider and M. M. Abid Ali Khan*
ABSTRACT
The medicinal value of cranberry has a long history of use by Americans. It has been used to cure of many diseases like Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs), used as antioxidant, anticancer, antitumor and anti-inflammatory herbal medicine. Cranberry belongs to family Ericaceae contains various types of bioactive chemicals, mostly polyphenols, including anthocyanins, flavonols, and phenolic acids which are linked to reducing incidence of certain infections, promoting heart health, protecting the urinary tract infection, decreasing inflammation associated with anti-aging property and support digestive health. In addition, laboratory studies have shown that cranberry extract reduces oxidation of LDL-cholesterol (so-called ―bad‖ cholesterol), an effect which indicates is important in maintaining a healthy heart. Cranberries are among few foods that contain A-type proanthocyanidins. Unlike B-type proanthocyanidins, A-type proanthocyanidins have an additional ether interflavan bond between C2→O→C7. It was suggested that A-type proanthocyanidins have greater bioactivity compared to B-type. Cranberry bioactives have unique characteristics and researches are being pursued to establish correlations between cranberries’ health benefits and specific compounds that contains. The most well known health benefit of cranberries is the prevention of urinary tract infections.
Keywords: Cranberry, Bioactive Chemicals, UTIs, Polyphenols and Phenolic acids.
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