Cranberry drink and mental health in university students
What it found
In 72 university students, a cranberry drink taken daily for 12 weeks did not improve mood, stress, anxiety or depression.
It did lower a stress hormone and improve some memory scores.
What they found
Studies in people
Mood and stress
There was no difference between the cranberry and placebo groups in mood, stress, anxiety or depression scores after 12 weeks.
Stress hormone cortisol
After 12 weeks, the cranberry group had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol in saliva over the day compared with the placebo group. The cortisol response after waking was not different between groups.
Short-term memory
The cranberry group scored higher than the placebo group on tests of short-term memory and phonological short-term memory after 12 weeks. Other cognitive areas like attention and reasoning showed no difference.
Cranberry compounds in blood
Levels of cranberry (poly)phenol breakdown products in blood and urine changed significantly with cranberry consumption. Higher levels of these compounds were linked to lower cortisol levels.
What the authors conclude
“While (poly)phenol-rich cranberry supplementation did not improve self-reported mood, stress, anxiety, or depression in healthy students, it influenced cortisol levels and some aspects of cognitive function, suggesting potential benefits for stress regulation and memory.”
Also in their conclusions
- They say that cranberry supplementation did not improve self-reported mood, stress, anxiety, or depression in healthy students.
- They note that it influenced cortisol levels and some aspects of cognitive function, suggesting potential benefits for stress regulation and memory.
- They call for further research to optimize dosing and formulation, clarify mechanisms, and identify populations most likely to benefit.
How it was done
Mental health problems are common among university students, and diets rich in plant compounds like those in cranberry have been linked to better brain function. The authors wanted to test whether cranberry could help.
They randomly assigned 72 healthy final year university students, aged 20 to 25, to drink either a cranberry drink or a placebo drink every day for 12 weeks. Mood, stress, anxiety, depression, memory and the stress hormone cortisol were measured before and during the study.
What it can’t tell you
- The study was in healthy young university students with low symptoms of stress, anxiety and depression, so the results may not apply to people with diagnosed mental health conditions.
- Most participants were female and of Asian ethnicity, so the findings may not generalise to other groups.
- The memory and cortisol findings come from exploratory analyses, so they need confirmation in larger studies.
Who paid
- Authors work at
- King's College London, United Kingdom; Institute of Psychiatry, United Kingdom; University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
The paper
- Title
- Effects of (poly)phenol-rich cranberry on mental health in university students: The CRANMOOD randomised controlled trial
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Full text
- Cite
- Kamarunzaman NNZ, Le Sayec M, Li Y, et al (2026). Effects of (poly)phenol-rich cranberry on mental health in university students: The CRANMOOD randomised controlled trial. Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland). doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2026.106677Free full textPubMed 42134099DOI
Summary written 26 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error