Cranberries don’t ward off infections after all

FOR years it has been recommended to women as a way of keeping everything flowing smoothly.

But the belief that cranberry juice can prevent bladder problems may well be misplaced, according to major research.

A study led by one of the world’s top universities claimed that cranberries have no impact on rates of cystitis or urinary tract infections (UTIs).

This is despite many GPs and websites recommending them on the basis that they might help and will do no harm.

The theory was based on the idea that the so-called ‘superfoods’ contained chemicals called proanthocyanidins, which prevent bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder.

Food companies leapt on the idea, promoting cranberries as a ‘powerful’ health product which could benefit the million women who suffer UTIs in the UK each year.

But the latest study, published last night in the JAMA medical journal, claimed cranberries had no impact on infections. Researchers at Yale School of Medicine tracked 185 women in nursing homes, with an average age of 86.

The women were either given daily cranberry capsules or a placebo. The cranberry capsules contained 72mg of proanthocyanidins – the equivalent of just over a pint of juice. Over a year, the scientists took samples every two months testing for bacteria, and monitored them for UTIs.

They found no significant difference between the women taking cranberry capsules and those on the placebo. There was also no significant difference in the number of antibiotics prescribed.

Research leader Dr Manisha Juthani-Mehta said: ‘Many studies of cranberry products have been conducted over several decades with conflicting evidence of its utility for UTI prevention.

‘The results have led to the recommendation that cranberry products do not prevent UTI overall. This trial did not show a benefit of cranberry capsules... among older women in nursing homes.’

In an editorial published by the same journal, Dr Lindsay Nicolle of the University of Manitoba, Canada, said: ‘It is time to identify other potential approaches – it is time to move on from cranberries.

‘The continuing promotion of cranberry use to prevent recurrent UTI seems inconsistent with the reality of repeated negative studies – or positive studies compromised by methodological shortcomings.’

In 2008, a review of ten trials published by the Cochrane Library global research network found that women who drank the juice or took cranberry supplements had fewer UTIs than those who did not.

But a larger Cochrane review of 24 studies, published in 2012, found cranberries provided no meaningful protection. Meanwhile Ocean Spray, the world’s biggest producer of cranberry juice, claims the berries contain ‘powerful elements’ which ‘help cleanse and purify your body better than water alone’.

The company’s website also extols the cranberry’s ‘well documented urinary tract health benefits’.

A spokesman for Ocean Spray Cranberries insisted the health benefits are proven by decades of evidence. She said: ‘There are over 50 years of well documented, peerreviewed studies conducted by leading researchers and universities on cranberries and their contribution to urinary tract health.’

‘It is time to move on’