A recent study has shown that a proprietary cranberry concentrate (Cran-Max), was comparable to the commonly prescribed antibiotic, trimethoprim, for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in older women. The randomized, controlled clinical trial involved 137 women who experienced two or more antibiotic-treated UTIs in the previous 12 months. They were given either 500 mg of cranberry in capsules or 100 mg of trimethoprim for six months. The researchers found that the time to first recurrence of UTI was not significantly different between the groups.
Cranberry extract had the benefits of antibiotics, without the side effects.
Lead researcher Marion E.T. McMurdo said, "Our trial is the first to evaluate cranberry in the prevention of recurrent UTIs specifically in older women, and the first head-to-head double-blind comparison of cranberry versus antibiotic prophylaxis. Trimethoprim had a very limited advantage over Cranberry extract (Cran-Max) in the prevention of recurrent UTIs in older women and had more adverse effects."
According to Sherry Torkos, pharmacist and author of The Benefits of Berries, "This is a landmark study for Cran-Max and the nutritional supplement industry demonstrating the benefits of a natural product for prevention. Prevention of UTI with antibiotics is effective but undesirable due to side effects (most commonly diarrhea, upset stomach and yeast infection). In some cases, a potentially fatal superinfection with the bacteria Clostridium difficile can occur due to antibiotic use."
"Antimicrobial resistance is another concern," said Torkos. "In fact, resistance to trimethoprim in bacteria causing UTIs has been steadily increasing in Northern European and American countries from 10 to 15% in the 1970s to about 24% in 2004."
Source: Proprietary Nutritionals, Dec 12, 2008
