Higher Doses of Cranberries May be Necessary for Urinary Health

The compounds in cranberry juice called “proanthocyanidins” (PAC’s) have been shown in numerous studies to prevent and treat urinary tract infections.

PAC’s help prevent urinary tract infections because they have an “anti-adhesion” effect on harmful bacteria in your body. These properties help flush harmful bacteria out of your body by preventing them from sticking to your teeth, intestinal walls, stomach lining and urinary tract.

A recent study shows that in order to receive the most benefits it is important to take higher doses. The study was conducted by researchers from Rutgers University. The findings were published online in the April 2010 issue of the open-access journal BMC Infectious Diseases.

For the study researchers analyzed urine samples obtained from 32 volunteers from Japan, Hungary, Spain and France.

The researchers found that a higher dose of 72 mg of PACS’s was much more beneficial for treating and preventing urinary tract infections than lower doses of 18mg or 36mg.

After six hours the 18 mg dose displayed an anti-adhesion activity of 50%, compared with an average of 90% for the 36 mg dose and 100% for the 72 mg dose.

After 24 hours the researchers still saw an anti-adhesion activity of 50% for the higher dose and no anti-adhesion activity for the lowest dose.

Cranberries also have a high level of antioxidants and previous studies have associated them with reductions in the risk of developing stomach cancer and ulcers.