AIM CranVerry® in the UK

Unlike many other cranberry products that are made from dried and/or ground berries, AIM CranVerry® is made from concentrated juice, minus the fiber, making it easier for your body to absorb the available nutrients.

AIM CranVerry® provides a way to receive the benefits of cranberry juice in convenient vegetarian capsules.

Unlike cranberry beverages that usually contain large amounts of processed sugar, AIM CranVerry® has no added sugar.

The cranberry and urinary tract health

Cranberry has long been used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), and recent research is beginning to bear this out. To see how this can be, we should first look at our kidneys.
The kidneys make urine, which consists of about 95 percent water and 5 percent urea and various salts. This urine exits the kidney via long, thin tubes called ureters. The ureters (one from each kidney) drain into the bladder. When the bladder fills, you get a signal that it is time to urinate. The urine passes out of your body through a canal called the urethra. Anything that interferes with this flow may cause the urine to back up and stagnate in the bladder, making the urinary tract vulnerable to infection.

UTIs are a serious health problem, resulting in more than 11 million physician visits annually in the U.S., second only to respiratory infection. About 20 percent of women will experience a urinary tract infection sometime during their lives. Of those, 80 percent will have another within 18 months. The incidence in men is less, although the risk increases substantially with age in both sexes.

These infections are caused by the introduction of bacteria into the urinary tract, usually Escherichia coli (E. coli). Once inside, they thrive in the warm, moist environment. Ultimately, they begin to affect urine production and the function of the bladder, resulting in painful or frequent urination, nausea and fever.

Recurrent UTIs may also increase the risk of incontinence in women after menopause. In the elderly, consequences can be much more severe, including mental deterioration and respiratory distress.

Cranberry has long been used to treat urinary tract infections, and research confirms this form of therapy. Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins that inhibit the ability of bacteria to ‘stick’ to the urinary tract wall. There is growing evidence that cranberry may have other health benefits as well.

Cranberry contains antioxidant phenols. They also have probiotic qualities and are being studied for dental as well as cardiovascular benefit. Unlike cranberry beverages that contain large amounts of processed sugar, AIM CranVerry® has no added sugar, and delivers only the benefit of pure cranberry concentrate.

Cranberry has a long history of use in folk medicine. Early European, Native American, and Asian cultures used it for treating wounds and swollen glands, for the prevention of scurvy, for the prevention and treatment of bladder and kidney stones as well as infection.

In addition, today’s evidence shows that cranberries may help treat and prevent urinary tract infections and reduce the risk of gum disease, ulcers, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.

The problem of antibiotic resistance

Western medicine has traditionally treated UTIs with antibiotics, but bacterial resistance has become an increasing problem. More than 20 percent of E. coli are now resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin and sulfamethoxazole and the percentage is almost as high for trimethoprim and TMP-SMX.

Fortunately, new research indicates that cranberry can help prevent and treat UTIs thanks to its ability to keep bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract. The germs, rendered harmless, get flushed out in urine.

Keep bacteria at bay—the natural way

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs), which inhibit the ability of bacteria, including E. coli, to “stick” to the urinary tract wall. Findings published in the June 19, 2002 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that not only are cranberry PACs able to “un-stick” antibiotic-susceptible bacteria, but resistant strains as well, and the effect can last up to 10 hours after consumption.

While many fruits contain similar compounds, thus far only the PACs of cranberries and blueberries have been shown to exhibit this effect. Studies have shown that these PACs are structurally different from those of other fruits tested, which may account for cranberry’s unique ability.

Evidence for reduction in gum disease and ulcers

While cranberry is perhaps best known for its effect on urinary tract health, newer research indicates that it may act elsewhere in the body against other bacteria as well. The adhesion of the different types of bacteria that cause both periodontal gum disease and stomach ulcers have both been shown to be inhibited by cranberry.
A recent study reported that a unique cranberry juice component, NDM, has the ability to reverse and inhibit the coaggregation of certain oral bacteria responsible for dental plaque and periodontal disease in vitro.

Also, a preliminary trial using mouthwash containing NDM found that the saliva of the experimental group showed a two order of magnitude reduction in Streptococcus mutans (S. Mutans) compared with the placebo group. S. Mutans is responsible for a large percentage of dental cavities.

Peptic ulcers, too, may benefit from a serving of cranberries. A constituent of cranberries has been shown to inhibit the adhesion of Helicobacter pyloribacteria to human gastric mucus in vitro. H. pylori is increasingly suspected to be the cause of peptic ulcers.
Contains more antioxidants than other fruits—even grapes The medical community is quickly realizing the value of antioxidants in fighting a wide range of diseases including heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers.

According to a study published in the November 19, 2001 edition of the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, cranberries have been shown to contain more antioxidant phenols than 19 other commonly eaten fruits including both red and green grapes.
Dr. Catherine Neto of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, recently published a laboratory study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing that certain cranberry extracts also inhibited the growth of a variety of tumor cells.

Other health benefits

Cranberries may also act as natural “probiotics” by enabling the good bacteria in the GI tract to thrive, while inhibiting the bad bacteria that promote infections and food-borne illnesses. A study by Leslie Plhak, Ph.D., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that whole, frozen cranberries contained compounds that inhibited the growth of common food-borne pathogens but enhanced the growth of a beneficial bacterium by as much as 25 times.

The prolific antioxidant properties of cranberries are the focus of research on many health fronts. Some current areas of study include cranberries’ effect on many areas of cardiovascular health especially as it relates to cholesterol and stroke. The health potential of this amazing fruit with its antioxidant and phytochemical stores has just begun to be discovered.

How to use AIM CranVerry®

• Take 3 capsules per day. You may take more or less depending on your needs.
• For best absorption and assimilation, take AIM CranVerry® on an empty stomach.
• Close tightly after opening and store in a cool, dry, dark place (70-75 °F; 20.1- 23.8 °C). Do not refrigerate.

Q & A

Can I take AIM CranVerry® with AIM BarleyLife® or other AIM products?

• We recommend that you do not take cranberry juice with AIM BarleyLife® because the acidity of the juice could affect the alkalizing substances in AIM BarleyLife. Some people do take AIM CranVerry® with AIM BarleyLife® because some of the AIM BarleyLife® will be assimilated before the AIM CranVerry® vegetarian capsules are completely dissolved.

Can children take it?

• Yes, again because it is a safe whole food concentrate; just like drinking cranberry juice!

Can I take more than the suggested serving?

• You may adjust your servings to your needs. AIM CranVerry® is a whole food concentrate, so, like cranberries, it is safe.

Why doesn’t AIM CranVerry® come in a powder or liquid form?

• This would be a very bitter-tasting product. Remember that most of the cranberry drinks on the market contain considerable amounts of sugar or sweeteners.
  We do not believe we should add this to the product.

What kind of capsule is used in making AIM CranVerry®?

• AIM CranVerry® is offered in a vegetarian capsule.

What temperatures are used in producing AIM CranVerry®?

• AIM CranVerry® is produced from juice which is freeze-dried at sub-zero temperatures, thereby maintaining most of the nutritional and enzymatic activity.
   

References

• Avorn, et al. “Reduction of bacteriuria and pyuria after ingestion of cranberry juice.” Journal of the American Medical Association 271, no. 10 (March 9, 1994).
• Howell, et al. “Inhibition of the adherence of p-fimbriated Escherichia coli to uroepithelial-cell surfaces by proanthocyanidin extracts from cranberries.” N Engl J Med 339, no. 15 (1998).
• Weiss, et al., “Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori adhesion to human gastric mucus by a high-molecularweight constituent of cranberry juice. Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition, no. 42 (Suppl.) (2002).

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