CRANBERRY TO TAKE CENTER STAGE AT IFT SCIENTIFIC SYMPOSIUM

Leading Researchers to Present the Research Base Supporting the Health Benefits of Cranberries on July 30

EAST WAREHAM, MA, July 17, 2007 – Distinguished scientists expert in the field of cranberry health benefits research will convene for a Scientific Symposium at the Institute of Food Technologists’ (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo.  Entitled “An Overview of the Research Base Supporting the Health Benefits of Cranberries, including Clinical and Mechanistic Findings,”  the panelists will provide the latest research on both the known and emerging health benefits of cranberry and its role in helping maintain health and prevent a number of diseases and infections.  The Symposium is Session Number 079 on the IFT Scientific Program and will be held on Monday, July 30 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at McCormick Place, Chicago, IL. 

As cranberry consumption continues to rise with almost 80 percent of all U.S. consumers having purchased cranberry products in the last six months, cranberry’s health benefits are a major force driving increased consumption.  Leading International food technologists and new product developers looking to create tomorrow’s food and beverages will hear how cranberry’s health properties may benefit their products.

“Speaking as a nutrition scientist interested in the health benefits of colorful fruits and vegetables, I am very pleased to see researchers delving into the emerging scientific studies on cranberry’s beneficial effects," stated David Heber, MD, PhD, FACP, FACN, who serves as a Scientific Advisory Board member to the Cranberry Institute, is the founding Chief of the Division of Clinical Nutrition in the Department of Medicine and the Founding Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, as well as a Professor of Medicine and Public Health at UCLA.

Martin Starr, PhD, Science Advisor to the Cranberry Institute, commented, “It will be exciting to hear from experts conducting such a wide variety of research, from clinical studies to preliminary exploratory research, about their latest work.  The deeper and broader scientists go into examining cranberry’s unusual structural complexity and its unique bacterial anti-adhesion and antioxidant benefits, the more amazed we are about this powerful little berry,” he concluded.

About the Cranberry Institute
The Cranberry Institute supports and raises awareness for world-class research programs exploring the role of cranberry and its components to help maintain wellness and inhibit certain acute and chronic disease states.  The Cranberry Institute's website is www.cranberryinstitute.org.      

Contact: Linn Parrish
Parrish Communications
781-259-1810 or
LinnPE@gmail.com

The Cranberry Institute gratefully acknowledges the support received for the IFT Scientific Symposium from the Canadian Cranberry Growers Coalition, the Cranberry Marketing Committee, CranChile, the New Jersey Blueberry Cranberry Research Council and the Wisconsin Cranberry Board.