Editorial: Good for the holidays

Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2006 | 7:13 a.m.

With dieting doomsayers standing ready to pepper the traditional Thanksgiving feast with information about cholesterol, calories, carbs and fat, new research shows that at least a couple of the meal's mainstays could be good for us.

According to a report released earlier this month by Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging, a substance in red wine called reservatrol helped laboratory mice live longer. Further study by French researchers showed reservatrol in red wine also boosted the physical endurance of mice and protected them from obesity and diabetes.

But the real health miracle on the holiday table may turn out to be the cranberry. The Associated Press reports that a study funded by the National Institutes of Health shows that drinking cranberry juice can help block urinary infections, prevent plaque buildup on teeth and, in some people, can kill a type of bacteria that causes stomach cancer and ulcers.

Preliminary results of this research also suggest that daily doses of cranberry juice may increase the levels of good, or HDL, cholesterol and lower the levels of bad, or LDL, cholesterol. The research also suggests that cranberries can prevent some types of tumors from growing, and that chemicals found in cranberries have stopped breast cancer cells from multiplying in test tubes - a theory not yet tested in people.

Jellied or fresh, dried or juiced, these little crimson fruits are good for our health, experts say. And they are increasingly popular. Alone or as ingredients in other foods, cranberry sales are close to $1.5 billion annually, AP reports. Cranberries are native to North America and are grown not only in the United States, but also in parts of Canada.

New Jersey is among the regions that grow cranberries. And, as if the news couldn't get any better, at least one winery in New Jersey makes its red wine from cranberries - a veritable double-whammy of good health and cheer for which we can all be berry thankful.