Cranberries might display antiviral properties according to independent research published earlier this year in Phytomedicine. The researchers found that cranberry juice offers a nonspecific antiviral effect toward viruses, including rotavirus.

The researchers, from various academic institutions in New York, found that cranberry juice drink reduced the infectivity of the viruses by up to 92%. Other juices, such as orange and grapefruit juices, reduced the infectivity of the viruses from 25% to 35%. The authors of the published study in Phytomedicine note that neither pH nor differences in sugar and/or carbohydrate levels among the juices may be ascribed to the recognized antiviral effects.

Analysis led the researchers to conclude that the antiviral effect might relate to the adsorption stage of the viruses replication cycle. Cranberry juice drink was also found to inhibit the hemagglutination reaction, possibly another indication of viral antiadhesion properties.

The cranberry juice drink used for the study was provided by Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc.