Cranberry

From the Consumer Guide to Cranberry

Nature's delicious answer to urinary tract infections! Earlier traditional applications included its use as a remedy for stomach ailments and gallbladder attacks. New scientific studies confirm that cranberry does indeed help to prevent or alleviate urinary tract infections. Cranberry extracts may also help prevent heart disease by inhibiting oxidation of harmful LDL cholesterol

Cranberry is a bitter red berry derived from a low-lying evergreen (Vaccinium macrocarpon) native to North America. Most of the Cranberry harvest is use to make sweetened juices but many people now take encapsulated dried extracts for their health benefits.

Benefits and uses

Cranberry main medicinal use, to prevent and treat urinary tract infections, is a relatively modern discovery dating only to the early twentieth century. Earlier traditional applications included its use as a remedy for stomach ailments and gallbladder attacks. Scientific studies have generally found that Cranberry does indeed help to prevent or alleviate urinary tract infections. A beneficial effect on kidney stones and chronic kidney inflammation is less proven. Cranberry is also being taken for its vitamin C and its phytonutrients, including flavonoids such as the proanthocyanidins, which are beneficial antioxidants.

Do scientists know how it works?

Researchers initially suspected that Cranberry juice turned urine more acidic, making the urinary tract less hospitable to bacteria that can cause an infection. Recent studies indicate that the herb's effects are due more to an ability to prevent bacteria from sticking to the lining of the bladder and urinary tract. Exactly which compounds are most active in promoting urinary tract is still being determined.

Recent findings

Cranberry extracts may help prevent two major diseases: heart disease (by inhibiting oxidation of harmful LDL cholesterol) and cancer (an in vitro test showed potential anti-carcinogenic activity in the fruit's proanthocyanidin fraction). A recent study added to findings on how the herb treats urinary tract infections by determining that Cranberry juice acts on the cell wall to prevent proper attachment of E. coli bacteria.

Safety

Avoid medicinal doses of Cranberry concentrate if you are taking drugs for urinary or kidney problems. It is safe for use during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It should not be used as a substitute for antibiotics during an acute urinary tract infection.

What types of cranberry products are available? Most tablets, capsules, and softgels contain dried, unsweetened juice powder or concentrated extract. Some products combine Cranberry with vitamin C. Unsweetened cranberry juice, available in some natural food stores, is the most potent cranberry juice but many people find this difficult to consume due to the extremely sour taste. Sweetened cranberry juice and "cocktails" are more palatable; those that have only 10 percent or less of the healthful juice need to be taken in greater quantities than higher-quality drinks with 30 percent or more cranberry juice. Even the highly sweetened commercial cranberry juice  may have therapeutic effects, according to some studies. For example, a 1994 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that ten ounces per day of a commercially available cranberry juice cocktail was almost twice as effective as a placebo in reducing bacteria in urine.

References

• Wilson, T., et al., "Cranberry extract inhibits low density lipoprotein oxidation," Life Sci (1998), 62(24):PL381–86
• Bomser, J., et al., "In vitro anticancer activity of fruit extracts from Vaccinium species," Planta Med (1996), 62(3):212–16
• Ahuja, S., et al., "Loss of fimbrial adhesion with the addition of Vaccinum macrocarpon to the growth medium of P- fimbriated Escherichia coli," J Urol (1998), 159(2):559–62
• Avorn, J., et al., "Reduction of bacteriuria and pyuria after ingestion of cranberry juice," Journal of the American Medical Association (1994), 271:751