What cranberries can do 
                                        April 2005

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Certain healthy bacteria are exempt from the cranberry effect, meaning that probiotics - ‘good’ bacteria – are not wiped out.

• 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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