Lallemand Find Further Evidence for Cranberry Supplementation Benefits

10/10/07 Lallemand Health Ingredients has announced the unprecedented results of a pilot clinical study showing powerful antioxidant potential of Nutricran 90S, Decas Botanical Synergies´ concentrated cranberry juice food supplement. A double-blind placebo controlled trial conducted in young healthy women shows that a daily intake of 1200 mg NutriCran 90S, not only prevents the adhesion of bacteria involved in recurrent urinary tract infection, but also provides a strong protection against protein oxidation, to a level never attained with antioxidant-containing food supplements before. These new findings reveal novel potential applications for cranberry food supplements in the prevention of oxidative stress in risks population.

The pilot study, conducted at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry of Palacký University, in Olomouc, Czech Republic, was recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry . The investigators assessed the effects of a eight weeks consumption of different doses of NutriCran90S food supplement capsules by 65 healthy young women. The study showed that the consumption of 1200 mg/day cranberry juice powder provides a strong and long-lasting antioxidant effect on proteins. The serum levels of advanced oxidation protein products (AOPP), a parameter of late oxidative stress in cells, were strongly reduced. Moreover, this effect turned out to be quite enduring as the AOPP levels were still lower than baseline, eight months after the trial has ended, and well below the country average. The authors highlighted the fact that such effect on AOPP level had never been described to date for plant-based antioxidants.

In case of oxidative stress, free radicals are generated in excess and it is their reaction with cell proteins that generates AOPP (advanced oxidation protein products), disrupting protein functions. AOPP, in turn, activate proinflammatory cytokines, which initiate the oxidative burst of neutrophiles, monocytes and T lymphocytes, leading to inflammatory reactions. Patients with conditions such as ischemic heart disease and uremic syndrome have higher AOPP levels.

The other conclusion arising from this study confirms the efficacy of NutriCran90S in the prevention of urinary tract infection, a condition affecting annually several hundred million women in the world, with 25-40 % of these women encountering recurring infections. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli originating in the bowel is the responsible agent in up to 85% of cases. The daily consumption of 1200 mg cranberry powder showed a 40% reduction of adherence of uropathogenic E. coli in urine (ex-vivo).

NutriCran90S is a spray-dried cranberry concentrate powder standardized to minimum 1% of the active ingredient proanthocyanidines or condensed tannins, which have been identified as the active component responsible for inhibiting the adhesion of certain bacteria to cell walls.

NutriCran90S contains a minimum of 90% cranberry fruit solids and 35% organic acids and is 100% water soluble. NutriCran90S cranberry powder supports urinary tract health and offers a convenient low-calorie alternative to cranberry juice beverages. NutriCran90S is distributed in EU by Lallemand Health Ingredients, under exclusive license from US based company Decas Botanical Synergies.