Will Cranberries Improve Your Oral Health?

Blackberries, black raspberries, blueberries, cranberries, red raspberries and strawberries have been evaluated, by using their berry extracts, for their ability to inhibit the growth of human oral, breast, colon, and prostate tumor cell lines.

The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry states that an overwhelming body of research has now firmly established that the dietary intake of berry fruits has a positive and profound impact on human health, performance, and disease.

Cranberry extracts, however, have now been attracting more attention by dental researchers.  For years, cranberries have been used to treat against bacterial urinary tract infection, but this is actually an old folk remedy.   Dental researchers, however, have found that cranberry components are potential anti-caries agents since they inhibit acid production, according to the Faculte de Medecine Dentaire, Universite Lava.



So bring on the dried cranberries, since they are dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian and kosher.  If you want organic dried cranberries, they are available too.  Remember though, cranberries are bitter, no matter if they are dried or fresh.



Cranberry products, especially those components that have a high molecular weight, could serve as bioactive molecules for the prevention and/or treatment of oral periodontal diseases.  It's the anti-adhesion effect of cranberry-proanthocyandins that can be applied for the treatment of dental caries and periodontal disease. Decades of research has established that, when left to its own opportunistic devices P. gingivalis, or Porphyromonas gingivalis, will attach to the gingiva and slip undetected into its surface cells, according to the NIDC, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

The reason these cranberry products may have a beneficial effect for the prevention and treatment of periodontitis is the constituents reduce the capacity of P. gingivalis to colonize on periodontal sites. Laval University in Quebec did a study with scientific evidence supporting the potential of cranberry polyphenols to prevent and/or treat diseases of the mouth. This is more of a reason to add cranberries to your diet.

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