Cranberries — as cranberry juice, tablets or capsules — have been used for many years to prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs). They contain proanthocyanidins, substances that can prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder. This may help prevent infections and reduce the need for working people to take time for medical appointments. However, there is currently no established regimen for what proanthocyanidins dose to use and no formal regulation by health authorities of cranberry products.
Cranberries belong to a group of evergreen dwarf shrubs of the genus Vaccinium. In North America, cranberry refers to Vaccinium macrocarpon.
Cranberries comprise nearly 90% water, but they also contain various organic substances such as quinic acid, malic acid and citric acid as well as glucose and fructose.
Products made from cranberries include juice, syrup, jam, tablets and powder.
The active ingredient of cranberry is proanthocyanidin (PAC). Processing cranberries into various products such as tablets or capsules can reduce the PAC concentration so that some products may contain little or no PAC.
The belief that eating cranberries would be beneficial may have started centuries ago from the Native Americans who would eat cranberries as a remedy for UTIs and other illnesses.
Early studies attributed the antibacterial effects of cranberry to acidification of the urine by increasing the excretion of hippuric acid. Several studies, however, found no difference or only transient differences in the level of hippuric acid.
More recent research suggests that cranberries prevent bacteria — particularly Escherichia coli — from adhering to the uroepithelial cells lining the bladder wall.
Without adhesion, Escherichia coli cannot infect the mucosal surface of the urinary tract. In vitro, this adhesion is reduced by two components of cranberry: fructose and PACs.
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