New Research: Cranberries versus Antibiotics
to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
In new clinical research (published July 25, 2011) by the Amsterdam Medical Center (AMC) of
the University of Amsterdam it has been shown that for women cranberries are a good complement
to prevent recurrent urinary tract infections (UTI’s). The results of the NAPRUTI study
are published in the leading medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine (2011;171[14]:1270-78).
The cranberries showed a reduction of the number of recurrent bladder infections (from 7 the
year before to 4 during the year of the study). Antibiotics were more effective during the research
with 1.8 reoccurring UTI’s, but did lead to significantly more resistance.
Resistance against antibiotics is currently in the spotlight, particularly for people using antibiotics
regularly for whom it is becoming a serious problem. Women with recurrent UTI’s are a
group at greater risk. To control the infections, more and more antibiotics are being prescribed.
More than half of all women experience one or more urinary tract infections during their life
time. The frequency of UTI’s increase with age, 20 to 30% of the women experiencing a UTI,
had recurrent UTI’s. These are defined as minimum three UTI’s in twelve months or two UTI’s
in six months.
The researchers Suzanne Geerlings and Mariëlle Beerepoot of the department of Internal Medicine
of the AMC studied the effects of cranberries and antibiotics on a group of 221 women with recurrent urinary tract infections. One group of 110 women received the antibiotic co-trimoxazol
(480 mg once daily) and a second group received a specific cranberry supplement (500 mg two times daily).
Already after one month 90% of the women became resistant against the antibiotic. Thesewomen also developed resistance against other antibiotics. Beerepoot reports that this is asignificant disadvantage. In the cranberry group there was no increase in resistance.
Project leader Geerlings concludes “Now it is proven that cranberries indeed lead to much lower resistance and a reasonable reduction in urinary tract infections. This therefore is a complement
to medication. And for women not wanting to take antibiotics, it is a good alternative”.
In this study a cranberry supplement was used with a special production method and composition.
For this specific supplement all the vital parts of the whole cranberry are used: skin, seeds,
pulp, juice and fibre. All the active ingredients are present in their natural state.
The patented manufacturing process provides a bioactive protection to all parts of the cranberry
avoiding destruction by gastric acid. In addition, it gives the cranberry concentrate a regulated
release. Not all available cranberry supplements have these functional characteristics.
Health through nature, science and innovation Springfield Nutraceuticals
Cranberries vs Antibiotics to Prevent Urinary Tract Infections, A Randomized Double-blind Noninferiority
Trial in Premenopausal Women.Mariëlle A. J. Beerepoot MD, Suzanne E. Geerlings,
MD, PhD et al. Archives of Internal Medicine. 2011;171(14):1270-1278
This study used cranberry specialty Cranaxil supplied by Springfield Nutraceuticals, The Netherlands
Cranaxil cranberry concentrate 500mg
Available from www.natural-alternative-products.co.uk
