Cranberry helps fight ulcer- study

17/06/05 In the first clinical study of its kind, recent research shows that people who drink cranberry juice cocktail twice a day are three times more likely to suppress the bacteria that cause stomach ulcers than those who do not. With approximately 80 percent of stomach ulcers caused by bacteria, this study suggests that drinking cranberry juice cocktail daily could help reduce infection among the 25 million Americans who will suffer from stomach ulcers during their lives. This could also potentially reduce the $6 billion in ulcer-related healthcare costs each year. Already known to promote urinary tract health through its anti- adhesion, or 'anti-stick' properties, this study further supports cranberry's unique role in providing health benefits in other parts of the body.

Published in the March 2005 issue of the medical journal Helicobacter, this is the first clinical study to examine the effects of cranberry juice cocktail on the bacteria that most often cause stomach ulcers. Stomach ulcers occur when these bacteria stick to the stomach wall and weaken its protective mucus coating.

This new study supports earlier laboratory research that found a reduction of bacteria infection with cranberry juice consumption due to the anti-adhesion action of proanthocyanidins, or PACs, found in cranberries. Research shows that cranberry PACs are the unique compounds that give the fruit this anti-adhesion power preventing the bacteria from "sticking" to the stomach wall as it does in the urinary tract and the mouth.

The cranberry contributes to good health from head to toe with its one-two punch of anti-adhesion and antioxidant benefits. With more antioxidants per gram than most other fruit, cranberries also bolster the body's defenses against free radical damage that can contribute to many chronic diseases including heart disease.