wyjoz
09-16-2006, 07:02 PM
Cranberries May Be the Best Antibiotic
The lowly cranberry, known mostly as something you dump out of a can in a gelatinous mass and eat with turkey at Thanksgiving, may be on the way to helping sufferers of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) get well while it saves them money on medical bills.
According to new research out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, it may in fact provide a real alternative to antibiotics, especially for combating E. coli bacteria and other bacteria that have become antibiotic-resistant, providing a natural cure for many illnesses ranging from UTI to kidney infection to tooth decay.
Past studies have reported on health benefits of cranberry juice, including the ability to forestall UTIs, which affect 8 million people every year. But prior to the new study, scientists didn't understand how cranberry juice helps with UTI and other infections.
They suspected, however, that it works by keeping bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.
It turns out that a group of tannins found primarily in cranberries does, in fact, keep bacteria from adhering to cells in the body, often forestalling even the beginning of infection. The tannins, at the molecular level, not only make it hard for bacteria to make contact with cells in the first place, but if they do get close make it difficult to grab hold.
Previously published work by the same team showed that cranberry juice actually causes tiny tendrils on the type of E. coli responsible for the most serious types of UTIs to become compressed, keeping the E. coli from binding tightly and staying put long enough to bring on infection.
What kind of cranberry products work best?
The effect on bacteria was the strongest when the cranberry juice was the most concentrated, implying that whole cranberry products and undiluted juice may be the most beneficial. I SAY USE RAW Joz
visit: http://www.newsmax.com/email.shtml
The lowly cranberry, known mostly as something you dump out of a can in a gelatinous mass and eat with turkey at Thanksgiving, may be on the way to helping sufferers of Urinary Tract Infections (UTI) get well while it saves them money on medical bills.
According to new research out of Worcester Polytechnic Institute, it may in fact provide a real alternative to antibiotics, especially for combating E. coli bacteria and other bacteria that have become antibiotic-resistant, providing a natural cure for many illnesses ranging from UTI to kidney infection to tooth decay.
Past studies have reported on health benefits of cranberry juice, including the ability to forestall UTIs, which affect 8 million people every year. But prior to the new study, scientists didn't understand how cranberry juice helps with UTI and other infections.
They suspected, however, that it works by keeping bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.
It turns out that a group of tannins found primarily in cranberries does, in fact, keep bacteria from adhering to cells in the body, often forestalling even the beginning of infection. The tannins, at the molecular level, not only make it hard for bacteria to make contact with cells in the first place, but if they do get close make it difficult to grab hold.
Previously published work by the same team showed that cranberry juice actually causes tiny tendrils on the type of E. coli responsible for the most serious types of UTIs to become compressed, keeping the E. coli from binding tightly and staying put long enough to bring on infection.
What kind of cranberry products work best?
The effect on bacteria was the strongest when the cranberry juice was the most concentrated, implying that whole cranberry products and undiluted juice may be the most beneficial. I SAY USE RAW Joz
visit: http://www.newsmax.com/email.shtml