For centuries, native Americans have revered cranberries for their healing powers. Modern science is proving them right.

Dozens of experiments, in fact, have confirmed that cranberries can prevent urinary tract infections.  A 2009 study by scientists at the University of Dundee in Scotland, for example, found that cranberry juice was very nearly as effective as a leading antibiotic treatment, and with none of its side effects. Most researchers have credited the high acidity of the berries. But new findings from Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts show that chemicals in cranberries called proanthocyanidins (PACS) prevent bacteria from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract. The longer bacteria are exposed to cranberry juice or PACS, the researchers found, the more trouble they have adhering to the lining.

Even if you don’t suffer urinary tract infectons, cranberries stand out as a remarkably rich source of antioxidants, recent research shows. Studies also suggest they may possess cancer-fighting capacities.

© 2009 PDQhealth

Tags: cranberries, urinary tract infections