Cranberries protect against urinary tract infections - February 27, 2006

A study by researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and funded by Ocean Spray, has found that dried cranberries may protect the body from the bacteria that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs).

The team, led by gynecologist James Greenberg, tested the urine of five women with a UTI and examined the adherence properties of the bacteria that cause the infections. Previous research has found that cranberries are rich in proanthocyanidins (PACs), which may prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract lowering the risk of infection.

The results, published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, showed that urine of the participant given dried cranberries demonstrated a 50% increase in anti-adherence activity - twice as much as participants given raisins. 'From earlier studies we know that, compared to raisins, dried cranberries contain five to ten times more PACs,' said Greenberg.