Bioactive compounds in cranberry juice can help prevent tooth decay

Cranberry constituents may be the source of several health benefits linked to their consumption.

Researchers at the University of Rochester have published information showing that the cranberry may be effective at preventing tooth decay.

The research focuses on the inhibiting effect of some compounds found inside the cranberry against a key bacterium blamed in the formation of cavities.

Proanthocyanidin, a chemical compound present in cranberries, inhibits the harmful bacterial from clinging to the teeth.

Proanthocyanidins, also called condensed tannins are oligomers and polymers of monomeric flavonoids. More specifically, they are polyflavans, condensed molecules of those flavonoids with a saturated ‘C’ rings.

These components inhibit acid production and protect the teeth from periodontal disease by preventing the growth of plaque.

Good oral hygiene, along with the consumption of cranberries, disrupts the pathogenic mechanism of dental caries and generally makes for good dental health.
Bioactive compounds in cranberry juice can help prevent tooth decay

Early Hypothesis About Urinary Tract Infection

Early Hypothesis About Urinary Tract Infection
There has been much speculation about the mechanism by which cranberry products protect against Urinary Tract Infections.

In the early 1900s, one researcher observed that consumption of 300-600 g of cranberry sauce/d could promote short term changes in urine pH.

It was hypothesized that this acidification prevented bacterial colonization of the urinary tract epithelium.

Although this was the popular theory subsequent studies were unable to demonstrate that urinary pH always acidified post-consumption.

However, because urinary hippuric acid excretion also increased after cranberry consumption, that substance was suggested as being responsible for the protective effects.

By the 1960s, it was determined that cranberry juice altered urine pH for only a short period of time, that the degree of acidification was not sufficient to provide bacteriological or bacteriostatic effects and that neither acidification nor hippuric acid could be the primary mechanisms.

In 1984, the researcher used E. coli isolates form people with UTIs to determine that cranberry juice contains a non-dialyzable material that specifically inhibits the expression of the p-fimbria of bacteria, hence preventing their attachment to and colonization of the urinary tract.

Given the large body of evidence showing that cranberry juice does not modify urine pH and UTI incidence it is surprising that acidification is still mentioned in current news.
Early Hypothesis About Urinary Tract Infection

Cranberry Juice Consumption Prevents Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberry Juice Consumption Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) occur when bacteria (primarily Escherichia coli) adhere o the uroepithelial cells that line the bladder, kidney or urethra and then multiply.

Bacterial adhesion to uroepithelial cells requires the production of a set of structures called p-fimbriae on the cell walls of the colonizing bacteria. Adhesion leads to colonization of the urinary tract epithelium and destruction of the lining of the bladder, as well as inflammation and rupturing of the underlying blood vessels, causing blood in the urine on some cases.

The resultant inflammation promotes a painful burning sensation; persistent, untreated UTI can lead to cystitis and pyelonephritis, which can ultimately lead to the loss of one or both kidneys.

UTIs are common, with approximately 60% of American women being affected in their lifetime.

Persistent infections often require ongoing treatment with expensive antibiotics that necessitate visits to a physician and immense costs to the health care system.

Persons at high risk for developing a UTI include the elderly, those who are parapalegic and quadrapalegic.

Folk medicine has long supported the use of cranberry juice for treatment of UTIs, although the mechanism for this effect has been difficult to determine.

Consumption of cranberry juice provides a way for affected persons to cost-effectively treat their disease independently of the health care system.
Cranberry Juice Consumption Prevents Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberry Juice For Cavities? Be Careful Of What You’re Buying

Researchers at the University of Rochester have published information showing that the cranberry may be effective at preventing tooth decay. The research focuses on the inhibiting effect of some compounds found inside the cranberry against a key bacterium blamed in the formation of cavities.

"Scientists believe that one of the main ways that cranberries prevent urinary tract infections is by inhibiting the adherence of pathogens on the surface of the bladder. Perhaps the same is true in the mouth, where bacteria use adhesion molecules to hold onto teeth," says an oral biologist and food scientist at the university's medical center.

While this may sound like good news for those who are looking for natural ways to support their body, it’s very important to understand what’s in cranberry juice before making a purchase. Always remember to read the labels. Most cranberry juice is cranberry flavored apple juice. Sometimes it is also mixed with grape juice. Other ingredients may even include high-Fructose corn syrup. Towards the end of the ingredient list is found cranberry concentrate.

While, drinking apple juice and grape juice is probably a dietary improvement for most people, juices that are made with so much processed sugar are clearly little more than cranberry flavored juices. They’re unlikely to contain significant amounts of the compounds that make cranberries useful in the prevention of tooth decay and tend to contain large amounts of the compounds that are blamed on tooth decay.

Purer forms of cranberry juice have a very strong flavor. Some people can develop a taste for unsweetened cranberries, while other people can only handle cranberries when blended with some other juice. If choosing a cranberry blend, be sure to read the ingredient label and avoid juices that are sweetened with processed sugars and diluted with juices that are mostly the sugars that lead to cavities.

Further research will be necessary before cranberries can actually be promoted as a preventative for tooth decay. However others sugars such as Xylose, are already used in "sugarless gums" because of their proven ability to inhibit bacterial development on the surface of teeth. Such gums are of course called sugarless because they do not have sucrose and glucose which are the sugars associated with cavities.

Cranberries have also been shown to have beneficial effects for people with chronic urinary tract infections. The compound believed to be responsible for this is a simple monosaccharide sugar called Mannose. Identified in Harpers Biochemistry as one of eight sugars necessary for normal cellular function, Mannose has also been shown to prevent bacterial infection and development.

These necessary monosaccharide sugars can all be found in a single dietary supplement. It also contains the other sugars identified in Harpers Biochemistry, based of their importance in biological functions. This can provide a more convenient choice for people wishing to improve their diets by increasing their nutrient intake while limiting the intake of food compounds which are not beneficial to good health.
Cranberry Juice For Cavities? Be Careful Of What You’re Buying