Is cranberry juice high in vitamin C?

Cranberry juice has a decent vitamin C content. It has 9.3 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL, providing 25% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C per serving.

Health benefits of vitamin C

Vitamin C is necessary for many functions in the human body. For instance, it’s involved in the synthesis of collagen, carnitine, and certain neurotransmitters. Also, it’s crucial for protein metabolism and wound healing.

Furthermore, vitamin C may decrease the risk of developing osteoporosis, as it increases the absorption of calcium.[1,2]

Also, vitamin C improves the absorption of nonheme iron; the type of iron found in plant-based foods.

Moreover, getting adequate amounts of vitamin C is beneficial for the skin. Vitamin C has powerful antioxidant properties. It prevents skin aging and the formation of wrinkles, due to sun damage. Most noteworthy, vitamin C can regenerate other potent antioxidants, such as vitamin E!

Moreover, vitamin C might help delay or even prevent the development of certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C boosts the immune system and fights oxidative stress.[3]

How much vitamin C do we need a day?

The recommended daily intake of vitamin C is 75 mg for women and 90 mg for men.

Pregnant and lactating women require slightly higher doses.

Also, smokers require higher doses. They should get at least 35 mg more vitamin C than nonsmokers, as smoking significantly increases oxidative stress.

What’s the vitamin C content of cranberry juice?

Cranberry juice contains a decent amount of vitamin C. It has 9.3 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL.[4]

Moreover, an 8 fl oz glass of cranberry juice contains approximately 23 mg of vitamin C, or 25% of the recommended daily intake.

Keep in mind that concentrated cranberry juices are poor in vitamin C. They contain less than 1 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL. Vitamin C is very vulnerable to heat. Thus, heavily processed foods contain no vitamin C, unless they’re fortified.

Just for comparison, orange juice, which is the most popular dietary source of vitamin C, has 50 mg of vitamin C per 100 mL. It has 5 times more vitamin C than cranberry juice.

If you want to significantly increase your vitamin C intake, you could mix your favorite fruit juices with orange juice.

You’ll find a wide variety of pure and mixed cranberry juices on Amazon.

Can I drink cranberry juice regularly?

Above all, drinking cranberry juice is good for you, as cranberry juice is particularly high in antioxidant compounds. It’s packed with phenols, anthocyanins, catechins, and flavonols.

Polyphenols in cranberry juice have potent antibacterial, antiviral, antimutagenic, anticarcinogenic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties!

Antioxidants fight free radicals and oxidative stress, which can lead to many chronic inflammatory diseases as well as obesity.

In fact, regular consumption of cranberry juice may help reduce cholesterol. Most noteworthy, cranberry juice seems to reduce the harmful LDL-cholesterol, while increasing the beneficial HDL-cholesterol.

Moreover, it may improve endothelial function, lower the risk of coronary heart disease, lower glycemic responses, have favorable effects on blood pressure, and protect against urinary tract infections.[5]

In addition, cranberry juice is low in calories and helps us lose weight.

What’s the best time to drink cranberry juice?

A great time to drink cranberry juice is in the morning. The body will burn most of the sugar of cranberry juice for energy throughout the day.

Moreover, it’s good for you to increase the antioxidant capacity of the body first thing in the morning. Antioxidant compounds in cranberry juice, such as vitamin C, help the body fight oxidative stress. Air pollution, sunlight radiation, and smoking are a few risk factors which contribute to the excessive production of free radicals and eventually to the oxidative stress.[6,7,8]

Also, as cranberry juice is among the richest foods in melatonin, we could drink it late in the afternoon. Melatonin helps sleep better at night.

But, the best time to drink a serving of cranberry juice is around exercise. Sugar, vitamins, electrolytes, and antioxidants in cranberry juice promote recovery and muscle gain.

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