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CRANBERRY JUICE AND URINARY INFECTIONS
Copyright 1996 by David J. DeRose, MD, MPH
Can cranberry juice really help a bladder infection? I'm Dr. David DeRose, we'll have an
answer in a moment on WellnessWise.
Bladder infections are a very common female problem. And mothers have told their daughters
for years that Cranberry juice can help heal those infections. Well, recent evidence
suggests that Mom was probably right again.
Dr. Mark Monane of Harvard Medical School and his colleagues, randomly assigned 153 women
to two groups. One group got about 10 oz of cranberry juice cocktail. The other group got
a beverage that appeared identical but had no cranberry in it.
When studied over 6 months, Those who received the cranberry juice had a 42% decrease in
the risk of bladder infection.
Perhaps more impressively, the cranberry juice group was more likely to have early signs
of bladder infection that cleared up on their own. This suggests that cranberry juice may
be of more value in treating an early infection rather than in preventing it altogether.
The new research confirms the helpful role of cranberry juice. However, it doesn't mean we
can treat all our bladder infections with juice on our own. Infection symptoms can leave
even though the infection remains--and a bladder infection can spread to the kidneys or
blood. So, if you have symptoms of a bladder infection make sure you work with a health
professional--but don't forget what mom told you about those cranberries.
For WellnessWise, I'm Dr. David DeRose.
Ref. Emergency Medicine July 1994, p. 83 reporting on JAMA vol. 271, p. 751, 1994.
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This article is reproduced from The WellnessWise Electronic Journal, copyright David J.
DeRose, MD, MPH.
Back issues of WEJ are available at several sites in cyberspace. Some of the
more popular sites are as follows:
(1) http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/wej/
(2) http://www.glasscity.net/~tolsda/wej/
(3) http://www.tagnet.org/InfoCenter
(4) http://www.social.com/health/news.html
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Send all correspondence to:
David J. DeRose, MD, MPH
E-mail addresses: docderose@aol.com or 74532.622@compuserve.com
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