Cranberex Cranberry Extract Attains Positive Anti-Adhesion Results in Two Newly Completed Studies
According to the company, both studies, not published, were conducted at Rutgers University using peer-reviewed and published methods.
Photo © iStockphoto.com/lenta
Two recently completed studies corroborate the anti-adhesion activity of Cranberex, Ethical Naturals Inc.’s (ENI; San Anselmo, CA) branded cranberry extract. According to the company, both studies, not published, were conducted at Rutgers University using peer-reviewed and published methods.
Cranberries are known to support urinary-tract health through the action of their proanthocyanidins (PACs), polyphenolic compounds that inhibit E.coli’s adhesion to urinary-tract walls. Notably, ENI points out in a press release, Cranberex is standardized per the BL-DMAC method to contain 15% “A-Type” PACs, which are unique to cranberries and responsible for their anti-adhesion activity (AAA).
The first of the two studies employed an in vitro model to compare the AAA of Cranberex with those of nine other raw-material and finished cranberry extracts. The company says researchers found that Cranberex met the study’s anti-adhesion criteria at a much lower concentration (0.23 mg/mL) than was required of the other extracts tested, demonstrating the extract’s excellent anti-adhesion activity.
The second study, a small human clinical trial, tested Cranberex’s actual AAA in 10 participants who consumed two doses of the extract, one in the morning and one in the evening. Three to six hours after consumption, all participants exhibited increased AAA response, with half achieving 100% significant bacterial AAA and the remaining half achieving 50%.
“We’re very pleased with the results of these studies,” Cal Bewicke, ENI’s CEO, noted in the press release. “These two studies confirm the activity of Cranberex and further open the door to the therapeutic use of high-grade cranberry extracts.” With estimates putting the number of U.S. doctor visits triggered by urinary-tract infections at up to 10.5 million annually-and with perhaps as many as 800,000 of those cases proving to be antibiotic resistant-this space is worth watching.
Also read:
2017 Cranberry Update: Should We Focus on PACs or on the Whole Fruit?
