Natural Techniques for CranVerry Details

AIM CranVerry® details

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 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.

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.

In one study conducted by Harvard researchers in 1994, elderly women who drank 300 ml of cranberry juice daily reduced their odds of having a UTI infection by 58 percent. Another 2001 study published in the British Medical Journal showed that a daily glass of cranberry juice reduced women’s risk of developing a second UTI by 56 percent.

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 pylori bacteria 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.

“Cranberries contain the most antioxidant phenols compared to 19 commonly eaten fruits. Cranberries are loaded with antioxidants and should be eaten more often.”
—Joe Vinson, Ph.D., research chemist at the University of Scranton

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 discover.

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).

The complete Women’s Health line consists of AIM Renewed Balance®, AIM RevitaFem™, and AIM CranVerry®. Complimentary Product: AIMega™. Use these products to help yourself maintain women’s health. Note: research continues to mount in evidence of the value of cranberries for both men and women, and in areas such as cardio and immuno health.