Cranberry (Vaccinium macropium) is an evergreen shrub that grows in bogs in North America. It produces dark red fruits that contain salicylic acid. Cranberry is a native fruit of north America that has grown in status as a functional food due to its potential health benefits supported by clinical and epidemiological evidences.
By Awais Saleem, Syed Ehtisham-ul-Haque, Adnan Saeed, Mazhar Abbas.
According to the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, cranberry fruit consist of the fresh or dried whole crushed or powdered nature fruit of V. macropium have active health benefits.
Chemicals in cranberries keep bacteria from sticking to the cells in the urinary tract. But they don’t seem to be able to remove bacteria that are already stuck to these cells. This might explain why cranberry helps prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs), but doesn’t help treat them.
Urinary tract infections are more common among women than men. According to the researchers, one in three women has had a urinary tract infection.Urinary tract infections can occur anywhere along the urinary tract, which includes the bladder, urethra, and ureter. These infections account for 8 million trips to the doctor’s office every year and cost more than $1.6 billion to treat.
Nutritious value of Cranberry
One-half cup of chopped cranberries containsTrusted Source:
- 25 calories
- 0.25 grams (g) of protein
- 0.07 g of fat
- 6.6 g of carbohydrate, including 2.35 g of natural sugar
- 2 g of fiber
- 4.4 milligrams (mg) of calcium
- 0.12 mg of iron
- 3.3 mg of magnesium
- 6 mg of phosphorus
- 44 mg of potassium
- 1.1 mg of sodium
- 0.05 mg of zinc
- 7.7 mg of vitamin C
- 0.5 micrograms (mcg) of folate DFE
- 35 international units (iu) of vitamin A
- 0.72 mg of vitamin E
- 2.75 mcg of vitamin K
How Cranberry Juice Treats Urinary Tract Infections
A mixture of cranberry juice, water, and sweeteners found in cranberry juice cocktail was used for the study because it is the most popular cranberry beverage. The researchers discovered that in petri dishes, cranberry metabolites in the juice prevented E. coli from sticking to other bacteria, limiting its ability to grow and multiply. If E. coli is able to connect with other bacteria, such as the bacteria found in the urinary tract, it forms a layer or “biofilm.” This allows the bacteria to multiply and produce an infection.