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MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax
and cranberries were a natural choice. Not only do they taste
great together (slightly tart), but cranberries add distinct health benefits to
the already long list of health benefits from MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax.
We use only the finest cranberries, grown without pesticides
or herbacides. These deliciously tart cranberries are naturally
high in antioxidants, flavanoids,
vitamins and minerals. They are
picked at the peak of nutrition and gently low temperature dried
and powdered. The entire process is designed to prevent nutrient
loss, so that the MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax
with cranberries has as much nutrition as possible for you and
your family.
Each 200g jar of MegaOmega™ Organic Sprouted Flax
and cranberries contains the equivalent of almost 1 pound of fresh
cranberries.
Cranberries
Cranberries and cranberry products offer many important
health benefits. Historically, Native Americans used cranberries
to relieve a variety of ailments. Today's health research points
to promising new evidence that cranberries are not only a
healthy, low-calorie fruit, they may also help prevent urinary
tract infections and reduce the risk of gum disease, ulcers,
heart disease and cancer. Research on these areas and on
additional health benefits is ongoing.
Antioxidants
The
medical and health community is fast recognizing antioxidants as
premier disease fighters. Cranberries have been shown to contain
more antioxidant phenols than 19 commonly eaten fruits according
to a study published in the November 19, 2001 edition of the
Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry." These
antioxidants may play a role in helping to prevent
heart disease and certain
cancers" according to the study's
author Dr. Joe Vinson at the University of
Scranton, Pennsylvania.
But just
what are antioxidants? Antioxidants are compounds that are
naturally manufactured by the body and/or are ingested,
primarily as components of fruits and vegetables, which have the
ability to stabilize free radicals (the harmful toxins we are
bombarded with every day in the air, our food and our
environment). Under conditions of stress the human body's
ability to produce antioxidants can become severely impaired.
Cranberries can serve as a good source of supplemental
antioxidants. Simply put, antioxidants protect our bodies from
harmful molecules we are exposed to every day of our lives.
Heart Disease
Flavonoids have been shown to function as potent antioxidants
both in vitro and in vivo and may reduce the risk of
atherosclerosis. Cranberries contain
significant amounts of flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds
that have been demonstrated to inhibit low density lipoprotein
oxidation. Ongoing research continues to suggest that
cranberries may offer a natural defense against
atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis, in the simplest terms,
is the accumulation of low density lipoprotein (LDL), or "bad
cholesterol", in arteries resulting in restricted blood flow. In
the advance stages of the disease blood flow may be decrease
severely or cease completely resulting in angina (chest pain), a
thrombosis (blood clot) and/or myocardial infarction (heart
attack). Atherosclerosis is a primary cause of
cardiovascular disease. According to the American Heart
Association (2001), on average one person in the US dies every
33 seconds from a cardiovascular illness.
Urinary Tract Infections (UTI)
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Indigenous peoples have used cranberry preparations to
treat urinary tract infections and other illness for
centuries. Modern medical research has revealed the
chemical and physiological effects cranberries have on
the urinary tract and just how using cranberries may
help prevent urinary tract infections.
Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs), which
inhibit the fimbrial adhesion of bacteria,
including Escherichia coli (E. Coli), to the
urinary tract epithelium and hence the subsequent
reproduction required for infection. It is these unique
compounds that are pivotal in the prevention of UTI
rather than the acidification of the urine as was
previously hypothesized.
Dr. Amy Howell (Rutgers University) et al. first
reported on cranberry PACs antiadhesion properties in
1998. In 2002, at the Experimental Biology conference,
it was reported that an eight-ounce serving of cranberry
juice cocktail prevented E. coli from adhering to
the bladder cells in the urine of six volunteers.
Findings published as a research letter in the June 19,
2002 edition of the Journal of the American Medical
Association reported that not only are cranberry
PACs able to inhibit the adhesion of antibiotic
susceptible bacteria, but resistant strains as well. The
authors also report that the antiadhesion effect can
last up to 10 hours after consumption, suggesting that
two servings of cranberries a day, may be more
beneficial than one.
Bacterial Anti-adhesion and Antibiotic Resistance
Early theories regarding the mechanism of action of
cranberries in helping prevent UTIs involved
acidification of the urine. However, that has not been
confirmed, and evidence has been accumulating instead
which indicates that natural components in the fruit act
to inhibit the adhesion of infection-causing E. coli
bacteria within the urinary tract. The compounds
responsible have been identified by Howell et al. as
proanthocyanidins (PACs), or condensed tannins. While
many fruits contain similar compounds, thus far only the
PACs of cranberries and blueberries, which are
botanically related species, have been shown to exhibit
this effect. More detailed work presented in April 2002
showed that of tests with cranberries, grapes, apples,
tea, and chocolate, only cranberries exhibited this
ability to block bacteria from sticking.
While cranberry is perhaps best known for its effect on
urinary tract health, newer research indicates that it
may act elsewhere in the body against other bacteria as
well. The adhesion of the different types of bacteria
that cause both stomach ulcers, and periodontal gum
disease, have been shown to be inhibited in the presence
of cranberry, and it is likely that others susceptible
bacteria will be found as well.
It is likely that the anti adhesion effect may have far
reaching implications. Not only may regular consumption
of cranberry products help maintain health, but in the
process will reduce the number of infections in a given
population, and thereby the doses of antibiotics which
are needed. It is becoming increasingly clear that a
reduction in general antibiotic use also reduces the
likelihood of the bacteria becoming resistant to those
very same antibiotics, which is a public health problem
of global proportions.
Dentistry
A study published in the Journal of the American
Dental Association reported that a unique cranberry
component, a high-molecular-weight nondialysable
material (NDM), has the ability to reverse and inhibit
the coaggregation of certain oral bacteria responsible
for dental plaque and periodontal disease. In addition
to cranberry, NDM was isolated from blueberries, mangos,
peaches, plums and raspberries. Only weak activity was
found in blueberry and the other fruits tested showed no
inhibition activity.
Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition reported
on a preliminary clinical trial using a mouthwash
containing cranberry NDM. Saliva samples of the
experimental group showed a two order of magnitude
reduction in Streptococcus mutans colony forming units
compared with the placebo group. A large percentage of
cavities can be attributed to S. mutans.
Dental plaque is composed primarily of oral bacteria
that have attached themselves to the tooth and gum
surfaces, and to each other (coaggregation). This
biofilm may be comprised of hundreds of species and can
be resistant to saliva and mechanical brushing which
would otherwise remove these bacteria. Plaque is a major
cause of periodontal disease.
Ulcers
Peptic ulcers are now thought to be caused not by
stress or by stomach acidity, but by infection by
Helicobacter pylori bacteria. This theory is being
routinely proven correct through clinical research. A
high-molecular-weight nondialysable constituent of
cranberries has been shown to inhibit the adhesion of H.
pylori to human gastric mucosa. These preliminary
results suggest that cranberry may be beneficial in the
prevention of peptic ulcers through the inhibition of H.
pylori adhesion to gastric mucus and stomach epithelium.
H. pylori is capable of surviving in your stomach and
duodenum by neutralizing stomach acid, in its local
environment, through urea hydrolysis. In Western
countries approximately 50% of people above the age of
60 are affected. 25 million Americans will suffer from
peptic ulcers at some point in their life and there are
approximately 1 million ulcer related hospitalizations
in the US each year. Prevalence of infection in
developing countries increases dramatically. The
majority of adults (80-90%) and 10% of children are
affected. In addition to ulcers, H. pylori infection has
been linked to stomach cancer,
acid reflux disease, and gastritis (inflammation of the
stomach). |
Anti-aging Antioxidants
Scientists
at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts
University have been finding promising results associated with
diets high in antioxidants and other phytonutrients. Preliminary
studies suggest that diets containing fruit and vegetables with
high-ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorption Capacity) values may
provide protection against chronic age-related afflictions like
loss of coordination and memory. Cranberries score high on the
antioxidant scale at 1750 ORAC units per 100 g (about 3.5 oz.)
of fresh fruit.
Using an
animal model James Joseph, Ph.D. and Barbara Shukitt-Hale Ph.D.
have been experimenting with cranberries and their ability to
protect brain cells from free radical damage and subsequent
motor and cognitive function losses. Preliminary results from
these trials indicate that there is compelling evidence that
cranberry can help protect the brain from neurological damage.
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