Cranberries have been found to have antioxidant properties that boost lifespan.
A new study to be published in the journal Experimental Gerontology found that experiments involving fruit flies at the National Institute on Aging demonstrated that cranberry supplements prolonged the insects live spans when given at any stage of their lives.
According to report on the study in the
Wall Street Journal, groups of 100 to 200 flies were fed a high-sugar diet supplemented with 2 percent cranberry extract during the flies' three biological stages that correspond to young adulthood, middle, and old age in humans.
Compared to flies that were not given the extracts, insects receiving the cranberry supplement lived 25-30 percent longer. Analysis of proteins from the flies' heads found that the extract reduced cellular damage caused by oxidative, or environmental, stress and appeared to alter molecular pathways involved in oxidative stress responses.
Researchers noted cranberries are especially rich in phytochemicals, which are healthy, plant-based antioxidants linked to health and longevity in other studies.