[Efficacy of cranberry] Is it good for urinary tract health? 3 Benefits of Cranberries

[Efficacy of cranberry] Is it good for urinary tract health? 3 Benefits of Cranberries

Is it good for urinary tract health? 3 Benefits of Cranberries

Cranberry Benefits
1. Improves urinary tract health
2. Antioxidants
3. Improve coronary artery function
This content is health information about ingredients that are not directly related to a specific product .

Hello. This is Jinny, the pharmacist.

Have you ever had a small amount of urine but frequent urination or an unbearable urgency? This is a representative symptom of urinary tract infection, and it is called cystitis, pyelonephritis, etc. depending on the infected area. Due to the short distance between the anus and the urethra, women are known to be more susceptible to urinary tract infections than men .

The cause of urinary tract infection is harmful bacteria, including E. coli, that exist around the digestive tract, vagina, and urethra. Harmful bacteria stick to the mucous membrane of the urinary tract, colonize, and gradually travel from the urethra to the bladder and kidneys, causing infection.

Therefore, today, I would like to introduce cranberry , a demonic fruit that can help with urinary tract infections .

1. Improves urinary tract health

Cranberry has been used for the prevention and treatment of urinary tract infections early on, and is widely known in Korea as a good ingredient for women and good for cystitis. This is because the ingredient called 'Proanthocyanidin ' contained in cranberries suppresses harmful bacteria from adsorbing to the urinary mucosa. 

A study published in 2008 reported that consumption of cranberry extract lowered the incidence of urinary tract infections .
"Number of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in subjects treated with cranberry or placebo each month. The odds ratio for the logistic regression was 0.3, suggesting a 70% reduction in the monthly probability of developing a UTI during the cranberry treatment period."
Reference paper: Hess MJ, Hess PE, Sullivan MR, Nee M, Yalla SV. (2008). Evaluation of cranberry tablets for the prevention of urinary tract infections in spinal cord injured patients with neurogenic bladder. Spinal Cord. 46(9): 622-626.

2. Antioxidants 

Not only that. Cranberries are rich in antioxidants called polyphenols . Therefore, North America, the country of origin of cranberries, recognized the value of cranberries early and used them as a health food. Especially in the US, cranberry juice is as common as milk.

In 2011, Nutrition Research published a research paper in which US researchers verified the effect of low-calorie cranberry juice consumption on factors such as lipid oxidation in subjects suffering from metabolic syndrome .
“ As a result, low-calorie cranberry juice (2 cups per day) significantly reduced lipid oxidation and improved plasma antioxidant capacity in women with metabolic syndrome.”
Reference Paper: Arpita Basu, Nancy M. Betts, Jennifer Ortiz, Brandi Simmons, Mingyuan Wu, Timothy J. Lyons. (2011). Low-energy cranberry juice decreases lipid oxidation and increases plasma antioxidant capacity in women with metabolic syndrome, Nutrition Research, 31(3):190-196.

3. Improve coronary artery function

Coronary artery refers to the two blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. Atherosclerosis is a phenomenon in which cholesterol and the like are deposited on the walls of arteries, including coronary arteries, and the walls become thicker and harder. It has been clinically proven to cause diseases such as angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, or sudden death. Therefore, it is necessary to carefully monitor the usual eating habits and manage risk factors such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

A research paper published in 2011 studied the effects of cranberry juice consumption on blood vessel function in subjects with coronary artery disease and reported the following.
“ Long-term consumption of cranberry juice reduced carotid femoral pulse wave velocity, a clinically relevant measure of arterial stiffness.”
Reference Paper: Mustali M Dohadwala, Monika Holbrook, Naomi M Hamburg, Sherene M Shenouda, William B Chung, Megan Titas, Matthew A Kluge, Na Wang, Joseph Palmisano, Paul E Milbury, Jeffrey B Blumberg, Joseph A Vita. (2011). Effects of cranberry juice consumption on vascular function in patients with coronary artery disease, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 93(5):934–940.

Today , we learned about three benefits of cranberries . In particular , regarding urinary tract health, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has recognized the functionality of cranberry extract as 'it can help urinary tract health by inhibiting the adsorption of harmful bacteria in the urinary tract' . Therefore, if you are suffering from urinary tract infection, you may want to take a look at the functional ingredient.

I hope you have a healthy day in body and mind. It was Jinny.
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