Some research has shown that the high molecular weight components of cranberry juice can inhibit influenza viruses in a number of ways. This Non-Dialysable Material (NDM) seems to affect the influenza virus in a number of ways, blocking its adhesion to cells, making it less able to invade and multiply. PMID:15781126

This research is exciting, but some caveats deserve consideration. The study was done on isolated cells in a petri dish, not in living animals. It is not clear how much (if any) of the cranberry NDM would be absorbed into the blood, or how long it would circulate in the blood before being metabolized or excreted. Most of the anti-bacterial research on cranberry juice has focused on low molecular weight compounds that block bacteria from adhering to cells in the urinary tract - these clearly are absorbed. Most of the research on the NDM material in cranberry juice focused on the mouth, where absorption was never an issue.

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