Cranberry juice has the potential to fight urinary tract infections, says a study.
July 11/Worcester, Mass./Worcester Polytechnic Institute -- The age-old folk remedy of cranberry juice has the potential to fight urinary tract infections (UTIs), says a study at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. E. coli are the main organisms implicated in urinary infections. An earlier study had suggested that cranberry juice reduces the ability of the bacterium to attach to urinary tract cells.
In this study, the researchers collected urine samples from healthy volunteers before and after consumption of cranberry juice. They then analyzed the ability of E. coli to form biofilms in the urine. Biofilms are thin, slimy layers that provide a sort of scaffold for bacteria to thrive and multiply.