Drinking cranberry juice every day may have a surprising effect on cholesterol

Keeping cholesterol levels in check is crucial for the health of your heart and circulatory system. When cholesterol levels in your blood are too high, it can cause deposits called “plaque” to form on the walls of your blood vessels. If the plaque grows, it can block blood flow, and if the plaque breaks off and forms a blood clot, it can increase your risk of heart attack or stroke, according to the Mayo Clinic.

We often hear about foods to avoid in order to keep cholesterol levels healthy, such as saturated and trans fats. However, there are also foods you should eat to maintain cardiovascular health. For example, foods rich in dietary fiber and healthy fats can help reduce cholesterol. There are also foods that can help lower cholesterol in other ways, such as the phytochemicals they contain. One such food is cranberry juice.

A meta-analysis and systematic review published in the journal Nutrients in 2024 looked at 16 studies on the effects of cranberries on cholesterol. The studies were not limited to cranberry juice alone, but also looked at supplementation in capsule, powder, and tablet form at various doses. Supplementation periods ranged from two weeks to six months. After analyzing all the data collected, it was found that consuming cranberries in all forms studied can help improve total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” type that helps flush “bad” low-density lipoproteins, aka LDL cholesterol, out of the body).

However, the study authors cautioned that because only a few randomized controlled trials have looked at cranberries and their effects on cholesterol, the results should be interpreted with caution, and more research is needed before standard recommendations can be made about the use of cranberry supplements or cranberry juice to lower cholesterol, the authors said.

At this time, there isn’t enough evidence to make firm recommendations about how to use cranberry juice to improve cholesterol, but it may be helpful to look at the methods that scientists have found to be effective in studies.

A 2018 randomized controlled trial published in the Journal of the American Academy of Nutrition had participants drink 400 milliliters (about 14 ounces) of cranberry juice for eight weeks. The study found that cranberry juice helped raise people’s HDL levels.

Also, a randomized controlled trial published in the journal Nutrients in 2021 looked at how cranberry juice supplements affect various heart disease risk factors in overweight and obese middle-aged adults. To conduct the study, half of the subjects drank 500 milliliters (about 16 ounces) of 27% cranberry juice every day. The other half drank placebo juice. After eight weeks, the groups were switched. Blood samples and vascular measurements were taken at the start of the study and after the supplementation ended. Among the study findings was the fact that the concentration of large LDL particles and LDL size increased significantly without affecting LDL concentration. HealthCentral points out that particle size is important because smaller particle size is associated with a higher risk of heart disease.