Scientists Discover Exactly How Cranberry Juice Fights Infections

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(NaturalNews) For decades, the idea that drinking cranberry juice could prevent

or treat urinary tract infections was greeted with doubt and sometimes even

sarcasm by doctors who considered this an " old wives' tale " . But in recent

years, studies have shown that cranberry juice does exactly what countless

grandmas and herbalists said it does. It wards off infections. But how?

Now comes word that researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) have

the answer. Cranberry juice creates what the scientists call an " energy barrier "

that has the amazing power to prevent disease-causing microorganisms from

starting an infection. This barrier changes the thermodynamic properties of

infection-causing germs in the urinary tract. Simply put, the bacteria are then

unable to hook onto cells and cause illness.

The study looked at two varieties of E. coli bacteria -- one with projections

known as fimbriae which are believed to be used by bacteria to latch into cells

and one without the hair-like appendages. The bacteria with fimbriae are found

on many virulent bacteria, including those that cause painful urinary tract

infections.

Both varieties were exposed to different concentrations of cranberry juice. The

research team, headed by Terri Camesano, associate professor of chemical

engineering at WPI, and a team of graduate students, including PhD candidate

Yatao Liu, found that even at low concentrations the fruit juice made it

difficult for the illness-causing bacteria to attach to cells. The scientists'

conclusions, recently published in the science journal Colloids and Surfaces,

strongly indicate that cranberry juice repels bacteria with fimbriae. The juice

had had little if any effect on E. coli bacteria without the hair-like

projections, suggesting that something in the juice interacts directly only on

the " bad bacteria " that has tentacle-like fimbriae.

" Our results show that, at least for urinary tract infections, cranberry juice

targets the right bacteria -- those that cause disease -- but has no effect on

non-pathogenic organisms, suggesting that cranberry juice will not disrupt

bacteria that are part of the normal flora in the gut, " Camesano said in a

statement for the press. " We have also shown that this effect occurs at

concentrations of cranberry juice that are comparable to levels we would expect

to find in the urinary tract. "

She also said that to take advantage of the antibacterial benefits of cranberry,

it's a good idea to consume cranberry juice regularly –- even daily.

In fact, drinking cranberry juice might do more than help prevent painful

urinary tract infections. The Mayo Clinic is currently enrolling research

subjects in a study to see if the fruit juice can help prevent cardiovascular

disease. Previous studies have shown that cranberries can lower " bad "

cholesterol levels, and help reduce the risk of gum disease, stomach ulcers and

cancer.

About the author

Sherry Baker is a widely published writer whose work has appeared in Newsweek,

Health, the Atlanta Journal and Constitution, Yoga Journal, Optometry, Atlanta,

Arthritis Today, Natural Healing Newsletter, OMNI, UCLA's " Healthy Years "

newsletter, Mount Sinai School of Medicine's " Focus on Health Aging " newsletter,

the Cleveland Clinic's " Men's Health Advisor " newsletter and many others.