Cranberries can reduce symptomatic UTIs and avoid chronic suppressive antibiotics

 In continuation of my update on craneberries

According to the study, recently published by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, drinking an 8-ounce (240 ml) glass of cranberry juice a day reduces symptomatic UTIs by nearly 40 percent in women with recurrent UTIs - reducing the burden of UTIs and reducing the antibiotic use associated with treating recurrent UTIs.

"Currently the primary approach to reducing symptomatic events of UTI is the use of chronic antibiotics for suppression, an approach associated with side effects and development of antibiotic resistance. This study shows that consuming one 8-ounce (240 ml) glass of cranberry juice a day reduces the number of times women suffer from repeat episodes of symptomatic UTI and avoids chronic suppressive antibiotics," said Dr. Kalpana Gupta, infectious disease specialist and Professor of Medicine at Boston University's School of Medicine.

An author on the study and panelist at today's session, Dr. Gupta believes that cranberries can help to reduce the worldwide use of antibiotics and significantly improve the quality of life for women who suffer from recurrent UTI symptoms.

Single Largest Clinical Trial on Cranberries of its Kind

The 24-week study of 373 women, conducted by researchers at Boston University, Biofortis Innovation Services (a division of Merieux Nutrisciences) and 18 clinical sites throughout the US and France, is the largest clinical trial of its kind examining the effects of cranberry juice consumption on UTIs. This trial adds to more than 50 years of cranberry research and supports the cranberry's ability to support urinary tract health and reduce symptomatic UTIs among chronic UTI sufferers.

Researchers set out to find whether recurrent (or repeat) UTI sufferers could be protected from repeat infections by drinking cranberry juice. Participants were all healthy women, with an average age of 40, who had experienced at least two UTIs within the past year. During the study, participants were randomly chosen to drink a daily dose of eight ounces (240 ml) of either cranberry juice or a "placebo" beverage without cranberries.

The rate of UTIs decreased significantly among the cranberry drinkers, with just 39 diagnoses during the six-month study compared with 67 in the placebo group.

Compared to some other studies, this trial had greater statistical power to detect differences than others due to its larger sample, use of incidence density to account for the tendency of clinical UTIs to cluster in time within an individual, a high average level of compliance (98%), and a comparatively large percentage of subjects in each group completing the treatment period (86%).

How Cranberries Work

Luckily, cranberries contain a unique combination of compounds including Type-A PACs (or proanthocyanidins) that prevent bacteria from sticking and causing infection. In addition to PACs, new studies have revealed a new class of compounds, xyloglucan oligosaccharides, which have similar anti-bacterial properties against E. coli as PACs. This means there are multiple, unique elements within cranberries working hard for your health.

These unique compounds can be found in a variety of products, including cranberry juice cocktail, 100% cranberry juice, light cranberry juice, dried cranberries and cranberry extract; however most of the research surrounding cranberries and UTIs has been conducted using juice.

Cranberries, a Natural Approach to Better Health

The suggestion that a nutritional approach like cranberry juice could reduce antibiotic use is welcome news given the alarming challenge it presents to public health, one that the WHO refers to as one of the greatest challenges to public health today, and that the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer said could become a threat 'greater than cancer'.

According to Gupta, those who suffer from UTIs can feel confident that this nutritional approach is a potential solution - further validating more than 50 years of well-documented cranberry research.

How cranberries impact infection-causing bacteria

In continuation of my update on Cranberries

Researchers in McGill University's Department of Chemical Engineering are shedding light on the biological mechanisms by which cranberries may impart protective properties against urinary tract and other infections. Two new studies, spearheaded by Prof. Nathalie Tufenkji, add to evidence of cranberries' effects on UTI-causing bacteria. The findings also point to the potential for cranberry derivatives to be used to prevent bacterial colonization in medical devices such as catheters.

In research results published online last month in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, Prof. Tufenkji and members of her laboratory report that cranberry powder can inhibit the ability of Proteus mirabilis, a bacterium frequently implicated in complicated UTIs, to swarm on agar plates and swim within the agar. The experiments also show that increasing concentrations of cranberry powder reduce the bacteria's production of urease, an enzyme that contributes to the virulence of infections.

These results build on previous work by the McGill lab, showing that cranberry materials hinder movement of other bacteria involved in UTIs. A genome-wide analysis of an uropathogenic E. coli revealed that expression of the gene that encodes for the bacteria's flagellar filament was decreased in the presence of cranberry PACs.

The team's findings are significant because bacterial movement is a key mechanism for the spread of infection, as infectious bacteria literally swim to disseminate in the urinary tract and to escape the host immune response.

"While the effects of cranberry in living organisms remain subject to further study, our findings highlight the role that cranberry consumption might play in the prevention of chronic infections," Tufenkji says. "More than 150 million cases of UTI are reported globally each year, and antibiotic treatment remains the standard approach for managing these infections. The current rise of bacterial resistance to antibiotics underscores the importance of developing another approach."

Ref : http://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/cjm-2012-0744#.UeTskY03C3E

How cranberries impact infection-causing bacteria

Cranberry extract disrupts communication between bacteria linked to pervasive infections

In continuation of my update on cranberry

Scientists from McGill University and INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier in Canada recently released a novel investigation showing that cranberry extract successfully interrupted the communication between bacteria associated with problematic and pervasive infections. The authors of the data published in Nature's Scientific Reports, Eric Déziel, professor-investigator at INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier and Nathalie Tufenkji, professor at McGill University, state that not only do the results provide insights into how cranberry compounds may work, they also have implications for the development of alternative approaches to control infections.

Previously published work has shown that the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon L) contains compounds -- such as proanthocyanidins (PACs) -- that provide meaningful antioxidant, anti-adhesion and anti-microbial properties that help fend off illness. Given this, the scientific team hypothesized that cranberries may also have an anti-virulence potential. They wanted to know if these cranberry compounds could help manage bacterial infections. By feeding fruit flies -- a commonly used model for studying human infections -- cranberry extract, the team discovered that cranberry provided flies protection from a bacterial infection and they lived longer than their cranberry-free counterparts. In essence, the cranberry extract reduced the severity of the bacterial infection.

Study author, Dr. Tufenkji, elaborates on what this might mean for humans, as opposed to flies, "This means that cranberries could be part of the arsenal used to manage infections and potentially minimize the dependence on antibiotics for the global public."

To further explain cranberries' impact on bacteria, Dr. Déziel said, "Cranberry PACs interrupt the ability for bacteria to communicate with each other, spread and become virulent -- a process known as quorum sensing. The cranberry extract successfully interferes with the chain of events associated with the spread and severity of chronic bacterial infections."

Added to the evidence of cranberry's role in preventing recurrent urinary tract infections by blocking bacteria from sticking to cell walls, the current study suggests that PACs may help control the virulence or spread of potentially dangerous bacterial infections around the world.

Pycnogenol counteracts kidney damage due to hyprtension...

Pycnogenol® is the patented trade name for a water extract of the bark of the French maritime pine (Pinus pinaster ssp. atlantica), which is grown in coastal southwest France.  Pycnogenol® contains oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) as well as several other bioflavonoids (catechin, epicatechin), phenolic fruit acids (such as ferulic acid and caffeic acid), and taxifolin. Procyanidins are oligometric catechins found at high concentrations in red wine, grapes, cocoa, cranberries, apples, and some supplements such as Pycnogenol.

Scientific evidence on its antioxidative capacity and protective action on the vascular system have been published in the most renowned scientific journals. Additional published findings have demonstrated Pycnogenol’s beneficial effects in cardiovascular health (reduces LDL), skincare (e.g., Melasma, erythema, Chronic venous insufficiency), cognitive function, diabetes health, inflammation, sports nutrition, asthma and allergy relief and menstrual disorders, among others.

Earlier research suggested that, supplementation of Pycnogenol® with  conventional diabetes treatment may lower glucose levels and improve endothelial function and may improve symptoms associated with diabetic microangiopathy.

Now researchers lead by Dr. Gianni Belcaro, have come up with an interesting finding.i.e.,  Pycnogenol®  counteracts kidney damage caused by hypertension, lowering urinary proteins and improving blood flow to the kidneys.

The randomized, controlled study conducted by the G D'Annunzio University in Italy investigated 55 hypertensive patients who showed early signs of impaired kidney function, as judged by elevated amounts of proteins found in their urine.  The patients were divided into two groups.  Both groups were treated with anti-hypertensive medication Ramipril and one group of 29 patients took Pycnogenol in addition to the Ramipril.

After six months of treatment with Ramipril, average protein levels decreased to 64 mg per 24-hour period, remaining well above an acceptable level.  Conversely, the group taking Pycnogenol® as an adjunct to Ramipril had an average of only 39 mg per 24-hour period, a decrease of nearly double compared with anti-hypertensive medication taken alone.

The study also found a statistically significant decrease in patients' blood pressure when taking Pycnogenol® in conjunction with Ramipril.  As per the clam by the researchers, the addition of Pycnogenol® decreased both systolic and diastolic pressures by an additional three to six percent.  Pycnogenol® was also found to lower the patients' elevated levels of inflammatory marker CRP, a blood protein associated with the risk for acute cardiovascular events such as heart attack, reducing values to a healthy level.

Researchers conclude that, Pycnogenol® as an adjunct to the medication produced significantly greater results, particularly for kidney function restoration  and Pycnogenol® continues to demonstrate its abilities as a natural solution for the complete cardiovascular system....

Ref :  Dr. Gianni Belcaro et.al., March 2010, Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology...

WPI Research Shows How Cranberry Juice Fights Bacteria at the Molecular Level

The study tested proanthocyanidins or PACs, a group of flavonoids found in cranberries. Because they were thought to be the ingredient that gives the juice its infection-fighting properties, PACs have been considered a hopeful target for an effective extract. The new WPI report, however, shows that cranberry juice, itself, is far better at preventing biofilm formation, which is the precursor of infection, than PACs alone. The data is reported in the paper "Impact of Cranberry Juice and Proanthocyanidins on the Ability of Escherichia coli to Form Biofilms," which will be published on-line, ahead of print on Oct. 31, 2011, by the journal Food Science and Biotechnology.

WPI Research Shows How Cranberry Juice Fights Bacteria at the Molecular Level

Cranberry juice consumption may protect against cardiovascular disease

In continuation of my updates on Cranberries

Results from a new study presented at the Cranberry Health Research Conference preceding the annual Berry Health Benefits Symposium 2015 in Madison, WI, revealed that cranberry juice consumption may play a role in protecting against cardiovascular disease. Presented by principal investigator, Ana Rodriguez-Mateos, PhD, from the Division of Cardiology, Pulmonology and Vascular Medicine at the University Duesseldorf, Germany, the research uncovered a potent, dose-dependent relationship between cranberry juice and improved vascular function. Because vascular dysfunction, including limitations in blood flow, is a central feature in the development of atherosclerosis - improving vascular function can have a powerful, beneficial effect on a person's cardiovascular health.

"Cranberry juice is a rich source of phytonutrients, including proanthocyanidins, anthocyanins and phenolic acids," explains Dr. Rodriguez-Mateos. "Due to this robust profile of polyphenols, our team sought to evaluate the immediate vascular impact of drinking one, 450 ml (or 16 ounces) glass of cranberry juice with a different range of concentrations of cranberry-polyphenols."

Cranberry juice consumption may protect against cardiovascular disease