A specific type of tannin found only in cranberries and blueberries interacts with the little projections on the Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria (the most common cause of UTI), preventing them from sticking to the walls of the bladder and causing infection.

A new study published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces: B looks into the effect of cranberry juice on the bugs in the urinary tract in closer detail. Apparently, cranberry juice changes the thermodynamic properties of bacteria in the urinary tract, creating an energy barrier that prevents the microorganisms from getting close enough to latch onto cells and initiate an infection.

For the fimbriaed bacteria, they found that even at low concentrations, cranberry juice altered two properties that serve as indicators of the ability of bacteria to attach to cells. The first factor is called Gibbs free energy of attachment, which is a measure of the amount of energy that must be expended before a bacterium can attach to a cell. Without cranberry juice, this value was a negative number, indicating that energy would be released and attachment was highly likely. With cranberry juice the number was positive and it grew steadily as the concentration of juice increased, making attachment to urinary tract cells increasingly unlikely.

The good thing about using cranberry juice to treat UTI is that, apparently, it does not have any effect on non-fimbriaed (in other words, non-pathogenic) bacteria. The authors of the study also found out that when E. coli. bacteria that have been treated with cranberry juice are placed in normal growth media, they regain the ability to adhere to urinary tract cells. This implies that regular, perhaps daily, consumption of cranberry juice may be necessary to fully benefit from the antibacterial properties of cranberry juice. And for those who are watching their calorie intake, the researchers say that the sugar-free versions of cranberry juice are just as good!

Post from: Blisstree

How Cranberry Juice Prevent Urinary Tract Infections