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The most familiar cranberry product is
cranberry juice, but cranberries can also be ingested in the form of
dried berries, tablets, jelly and other compounds.
Research and findings
The National Institute of Health (NIH) in
the USA has recently awarded grants to researchers to investigate the
health benefits of cranberries, and already a number of interesting and
significant worldwide findings have been made.
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Cranberries have long been used as a
remedy for urinary tract infections or cystitis. Most urinary tract
infections (nearly 80 per cent) are caused by E.coli bacteria adhering
to the walls of the urinary tract and multiplying to cause infection.
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60 per cent of women will have one episode
of urinary tract infection in their lifetime and one-third of this
number will have a recurrence of the infection.
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A number of recent trials have shown that
cranberry products have significantly reduced the incidence of urinary
tract infections, and a regular intake of cranberry juice reduces
recurrences by about half if the patients have normal urine flow.
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Until recently, it was assumed that it was
the cranberry acidity that prevented the bacteria from growing. It is
now known, however, that a group of compounds derived from cranberries
prevent both antibiotic resistant and E.coli bacteria from attaching
to cells in the urinary tract.
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Certain healthy bacteria are exempt from
the cranberry effect, meaning that probiotics - ‘good’ bacteria – are
not wiped out.
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Researchers conclude that regular
consumption of cranberry juice (around 240 ml. per day) helps to
maintain urinary tract health.
Spin-offs for the future
A new group of what is known as
anti-adhesive drugs (because they stop certain bacteria from adhering to
the cells in the urinary tract), once developed, may well contain
cranberry constituents and may serve as a new means to fight infectious
diseases and conditions.
Peptic ulcers. Helicobacter pylori
are bacteria that colonise in the stomach and are the cause of peptic
ulcers. H. pylori infection occurs worldwide, with 30 per cent of the
total UK population being affected. Cranberry juice may prove to be a
cost-effective alternative therapy for H. pylori infection without the
side effects of current treatments.
Mouthwash. Studies in Israel have
shown that cranberry used as a mouthwash reduces salivary streptococci,
possibly because of the anti-adhesion properties.
Breast cancer. Mouse studies have
shown that cranberry products appear to have a property that helps to
prevent breast cancer. The studies showed a 40 per cent reduction in
tumour growth when mice were fed with dehydrated cranberries. Studies in
humans are needed.
Heart disease. Cranberry products
appear to have potential benefits for heart disease. Drinking a glass of
cranberry juice every day boosts HDL (the ‘good’) cholesterol in the
body as well as providing strong antioxidant protection against LDL
(‘bad’) cholesterol, a major cause of heart disease. A recent study at
St Bartholomew’s hospital in London found that a serving of cranberry
juice each day could be as good for the heart as red wine.
Colon cancer. Some research suggests
that cranberries may play a role in the prevention of inflammation,
pain, platelet aggregation and colon cancer.
What not to take with cranberries
Patients on the anti-coagulant drug warfarin,
should not drink cranberry juice. The drug helps to prevent blood clots
which can lead to heart attacks or strokes, and there have been cases of
fatalities associated with drinking cranberry juice and taking warfarin.
At present, there are no warnings on cranberry juice products.
If you don’t go for the juice, a convenient way of getting
cranberries is CranMax, by Natural Balance, in the form of high-quality
capsules. They cost £15.95 for 30 capsules, one to be taken daily.
Available from The
Nutri Centre.
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