Cranberry Juice Good Antioxidant

SCRANTON, Pa.—Cranberries may be an excellent source of high-quality antioxidants, according to a study at the University of Scranton (J Agric Food Chem. 2008) (DOI:10.1021/jf073309b). After an overnight fast, 10 normal individuals consumed 240 mL of high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) and ascorbate with cranberry juice (CJ) antioxidants or without CJ (control). The control HFCS caused a slight decrease in plasma antioxidant capacity at all time points and, thus, an oxidative stress in spite of the presence of ascorbate. CJ produced an increase in plasma antioxidant capacity that was significantly greater than the control HFCS at all time points. Postprandial triglycerides, due to fructose in the beverages, were mainly responsible for the oxidative stress and were significantly correlated with the oxidative stress as measured by the antioxidant capacity.