Phenols In Lingonberry Juice Found To Normalize Blood Vessel Function

Finnish researchers who compared the long-term consumption of juices from lingonberries, cranberries and blackcurrants found that of the three lingonberry juice alone has a positive impact on the endothelium of blood vessels. For the study, hypertensive rats consumed diets that included the juices of the three types of berries for eight weeks. Phenol-rich lingonberry intake “normalized the impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation seen in the cranberry, blackcurrant and control rats,” the researchers found, but did not lower blood pressure. The researchers said the high phenolic content of lingonberries probably accounted for the beneficial effect on the bloods vessels. The juice contains more of the phenolic compounds known as flavonols, flavan-3-ols and procyanidins than other juices.