Cranberry Juice for Weight Loss. Really?
Recently, I posted an article about cranberry juice and apple cider vinegar for weight loss. There, I explained in detail how to use this drink to suppress appetite and lose weight.
But the question remains, why cranberry juice? Why not mix apple cider vinegar with another fruit juice? Will that have the same results? Or is cranberry juice more likely to help you lose weight?
The truth is, cranberry juice doesn't actively make you lose weight, instead it can only support your weight loss efforts.
Cranberry juice has several potential benefits for weight loss, including:
1. Low calorie content
Cranberry juice has a relatively low calorie content, 1 cup of cranberry juice (240 ml) contains approximately 110 calories.
Consuming low calorie beverages with a high nutritional value, such as cranberry juice, can help your body get the nutrients it needs and reduce your calorie intake at the same time.
This is especially true if you are drinking cranberry juice as a replacement for sugary beverages.
2. Contains dietary fiber
Cranberry juice is a source of fiber, which can help reduce appetite and improve digestion.
The thing is, whole cranberries contain much more fiber than the juice.
Actually, consuming whole cranberries instead of juice is better for weight loss in almost every way.
So if you want to lose weight with cranberries, it is better to eat the berries whole.
3. Supports digestive health
Cranberry juice is beneficial for a healthy gut microbiome and could support digestive health.
For example, scientific evidence suggests that cranberry juice could help prevent H. pylori infections (1).
H. pylori infections do not only increase the risk of gastric cancer, but can also have many other negative effects on your digestion. One clinical study suggests that cranberry juice can be effective at suppressing H. pylori infection (2).
4. Beneficial for non-alcoholic fatty liver
Cranberry supplements in combination with a weight loss diet, could be beneficial for people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
A placebo-controlled clinical trial, demonstrated that cranberry supplements can have a positive effect on insulin levels on patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (3).
After 12 weeks of supplementation, the group that received cranberry supplements not only had a decrease in insulin resistance, but also lower alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels, compared to placebo.
ALT is often used as a marker to assess liver health (4).
5. Other health benefits
Cranberry juice has numerous other health benefits, including:
Urinary tract health
Heart health
Antioxidants
Immune system support
Health Benefits and Side Effects of Cranberry Juice
These benefits could indirectly support your weight loss efforts, by improving your overall health.
Nutritional value of cranberry juice
Here is the nutritional content of 100 g of unsweetened cranberry juice, and some of the main functions of these nutrients (5):
|
Nutrient |
Function in body |
Amount per 100g |
|
Energy |
Provides energy |
46 kcal |
|
Carbohydrates |
Energy |
12.2 g |
|
Protein |
Building blocks of proteins, back-up energy source |
0.39 g |
|
Fiber |
Supports digestion |
0.1 g |
|
Sugar |
Source of carbon and energy |
12.1 g |
|
Vitamin C |
Necessary in many tissues in the body, antioxidant, also helps collagen production |
9.3 mg |
|
Vitamin E |
Antioxidant, enhances immune response, and many other functions |
1.2 mg |
|
Vitamin A |
Normal vision, growth, immunity, etc. |
2 µg |
|
Calcium |
Necessary for strong bones |
8 mg |
|
Iron |
Essential for oxygen transport |
0.25 mg |
|
Vitamin K |
Important for blood clotting and healthy bones |
5.1 µg |
Cranberry juice does not contain many calories, but most of these do come from sugar.
If you want to lose weight, it is best not to combine cranberry juice with other foods that are high in carbs. Instead you could combine it with protein-rich foods, or make yourself a cranberry juice and ACV drink for weight loss (link provided in introduction).
Wrap up
Weight loss is usually achieved through regular exercise, a balanced diet, and an overall healthy lifestyle.
Cranberry juice can not help you with the exercise part, but it can be a part of a balanced diet and healthy lifestyle.
If you want to lose weight, you need to be in a caloric deficit.
If you are consuming too many calories per day, cranberry juice can not help you lose weight.
Cranberries are a healthy addition to a weight loss diet.
If you choose to consume cranberry juice, make sure it is a part of a balanced diet and drink it in moderation.
It is not clear if cranberry juice is more effective for weight loss, than other berry juices.