The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

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    Cranberries to prevent urinary tract infections

    There’s some evidence that cranberry juice may decrease the number of symptomatic urinary tract infections (UTIs), particularly in women with recurrent UTIs, according to this Cochrane review.

    But what about other groups?

    First, the details.

    • Authors from the University of Stirling in the UK assessed the results of 10 clinical studies of cranberries in 1049 people to treat UTIs.
      • Cranberry/cranberry-lingonberry juice vs placebo, juice, or water in 7 studies, and cranberry tablets vs placebo in 4 studies (one evaluated juice and tablets).

    And, the results.

    • Cranberry products significantly reduced the incidence of UTIs at 12 months vs placebo/control.
    • Cranberry products were more effective at reducing the incidence of UTIs in women with recurrent UTIs, than elderly men and women or people requiring a urinary catheter.
    • Side effects were common in all studies, and dropouts/withdrawals in several of the studies were high.

    The bottom line?
    Taken over a year, there’s some support for cranberry juice to decrease the number of symptomatic UTIs, particularly in women with a history of repeated UTIs.

    Its effectiveness for other groups is less certain.

    Benefits never come without cost, and the many dropouts/withdrawals suggest that cranberry juice is difficult to take for prolonged periods.

    The authors also found, “It is not clear what is the optimum dosage or method of administration (eg, juice, tablets or capsules).”

    The safety of taking cranberries during pregnancy and lactation is summarized here.

    4/15/08 19:36 JR

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