From:
Vicki Montgomery
Date: 2007-02-14 17:43:05 UTC
Subject: [ferrethealth] Cranberries
To: FerretCare@yahoogroups.com, FHL <ferrethealth@yahoogroups.com>
Do you guys remember a discussion about Craisins? These are dried cranberries with sugar added to process them into a finger food snack.
Some of us decided that Craisins are not a good snack for ferrets because of the high amount of sugar added to make them less tart and tastier and also because fruits breakdown to sugar during digestion.
I've just run across a few pros to Cranberries that I found back during the original discussion and was thinking .. while Craisins may not be good for ferret and even the actual cranberry might not be - I wonder if boiling a few berries and allowing the water to cool, then giving the water to ferrets would be beneficial, and if there would be (I think should be) significantly less sugar. What I don't know is if boiling would somehow destroy the component value of the beneficial substances or if drinking the water would deliver enough of the compounds to actually protect and heal (I.E. - a Helicobacter infection).
I'm not thinking of using cranberry water to substitute for medicines but rather to use as a daily supplement.
Anti-cancer - In 1996 laboratory studies conducted by University of Illinois scientists and published in Planta Medica demonstrated the potential anticarcinogenic properties of cranberries. More recently researchers at the University of Western Ontario demonstrated, using an animal model, that human breast cancer cells showed significantly lower incidence of tumor development when the experimental group's diet was supplemented with cranberries. Although these results are very preliminary, compounds in cranberries may prove to be a potent cancer fighter.
Anti-aging - 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. Rats feed diets supplemented with cranberries are put through a series of tests to evaluate their neural function compared to a control group. Preliminary results indicate that there will be compelling evidence that cranberry can help protect the brain from neurological damage (unpublished results).
Dental - Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition (2002) 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 (unpublished data). A large percentage of dental caries (cavities) can be attributed to S. mutans.
Heart - 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.
Ulcers - Peptic ulcers are increasingly being attributed to infection by Helicobacter pylori bacteria, as opposed to stress and/or stomach acidity. A high-molecular-weight nondialysable constituent of cranberry juice has been shown to inhibit the adhesion of H. pylori to human gastric mucus in vitro. 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.
He who learns must suffer. And even in our sleep, pain that cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart. And in our own despair, and against our will, comes Wisdom by the awful Grace of God...Aeschylus
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