The tannins from cranberries and blueberries, which belong to the group of secondary plant compounds, have an inhibitory effect on bladder infections caused by E-coli bacteria (Escherichia coli ), according to Ines Drewe of the German Institute of Nutritional Medicine and Dietetics (D.I.E.T.).
Using cranberry juice to fight urinary tract infections
A Finnish study examined 150 women with an average age of 30 who had a urinary tract infection caused by Escherichia coli and did not seek treatment with antibiotics. The subjects were divided into three groups for the study. The first group received 50 milliliters of cranberry juice daily for a period of six months. The women in the second group received 100 milliliters of a Lactobacillus GG drink five times a week for one year, and the women in the third group received no intervention.
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Six months after the study began, only 16 percent of the women in the cranberry group had experienced at least one relapse, compared with 39 percent of the Lactobacillus GG group, and 36 percent of the control group. This shows that cranberry juice significantly minimizes the risk of urinary tract infections occurring. The E coli bacteria attach themselves to the urinary tract epithelia with fine hairs called fimbriae. Only with this adhesion can bacteria cause inflammation.
The tannins in cranberry juice change the surface structure of the bacteria with the fimbriae so that adhesion is no longer possible.
Comparable study
Incidentally, a comparable study was conducted back in 1994 with cranberry nectar (cranberry, a berry fruit native to North America). In this placebo-controlled study (Avorn et al), elderly women drank 300 milliliters of cranberry nectar daily for six months. This juice also contains the effective tannins. The study at that time showed that the risk of developing urinary tract infections was reduced by 58 percent. DIET experts recommend that women who frequently suffer from urinary tract infections drink a quarter glass of cranberry juice daily.
