title: Impact of Cranberries on Gut Microbiota and Cardiometabolic Health: Proceedings of the Cranberry Health Research Conference 2015.
abstract: Recent advances in cranberry research have expanded the evidence for the role of this Vaccinium berry fruit in modulating gut microbiota function and cardiometabolic risk factors. The A-type structure of cranberry proanthocyanidins seems to be responsible for much of this fruit's efficacy as a natural antimicrobial. Cranberry proanthocyanidins interfere with colonization of the gut by extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli in vitro and attenuate gut barrier dysfunction caused by dietary insults in vivo. Furthermore, new studies indicate synergy between these proanthocyanidins, other cranberry components such as isoprenoids and xyloglucans, and gut microbiota. Together, cranberry constituents and their bioactive catabolites have been found to contribute to mechanisms affecting bacterial adhesion, coaggregation, and biofilm formation that may underlie potential clinical benefits on gastrointestinal and urinary tract infections, as well as on systemic anti-inflammatory actions mediated via the gut microbiome. A limited but growing body of evidence from randomized clinical trials reveals favorable effects of cranberry consumption on measures of cardiometabolic health, including serum lipid profiles, blood pressure, endothelial function, glucoregulation, and a variety of biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress. These results warrant further research, particularly studies dedicated to the elucidation of dose-response relations, pharmacokinetic/metabolomics profiles, and relevant biomarkers of action with the use of fully characterized cranberry products. Freeze-dried whole cranberry powder and a matched placebo were recently made available to investigators to facilitate such work, including interlaboratory comparability.
authors.affiliation: Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, Tufts University, Boston, MA; jeffrey.blumberg@tufts.edu.
authors.forename: Jeffrey B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Blumberg
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK;
authors.forename: Arpita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Basu
authors.affiliation: Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, Cambridge, WI; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI;
authors.forename: Christian G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.affiliation: North Carolina State University, Kannapolis, NC;
authors.forename: Mary Ann
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Lila
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth, Dartmouth, MA;
authors.forename: Catherine C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.affiliation: USDA Beltsville Human Nutrition Research Center, Beltsville, MD;
authors.forename: Janet A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Novotny
authors.affiliation: Complete Phytochemical Solutions, LLC, Cambridge, WI; University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI;
authors.forename: Jess D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany;
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Mateos
authors.affiliation: The Cranberry Institute, Carver, MA; and CDT Consulting, LLC, Herndon, VA.
authors.forename: Cheryl D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Toner
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D018441:Biofilms; D004032:Diet; D005638:Fruit / Q000737:chemistry; D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome / Q000502:physiology*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008055:Lipids / Q000097:blood; D008659:Metabolic Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D064209:Phytochemicals / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000032:analysis; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology; D044945:Proanthocyanidins; D012307:Risk Factors; D029799:Vaccinium macrocarpon / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D008055:Lipids; D064209:Phytochemicals; D010936:Plant Extracts; D044945:Proanthocyanidins
keywords: antimicrobial; cardiometabolic; cranberry; microbiome; proanthocyanidins