AIM CranVerry®
Details
Cranberry has a long history of use in folk medicine. Early European,
Native American, and Asian cultures used it for treating wounds and
swollen glands, for the prevention of scurvy, for the prevention and
treatment of bladder and kidney stones as well as infection.
In addition, today’s evidence shows that cranberries may help treat
and prevent urinary tract infections and reduce the risk of gum disease,
ulcers, heart disease, diabetes and even cancer.
The cranberry and urinary tract health
Cranberry has long been used to treat urinary tract infections
(UTIs), and recent research is beginning to bear this out. To see how
this can be, we should first look at our kidneys.
The kidneys make urine, which consists of about 95 percent water and
5 percent urea and various salts. This urine exits the kidney via long,
thin tubes called ureters. The ureters (one from each kidney) drain into
the bladder. When the bladder fills, you get a signal that it is time to
urinate. The urine passes out of your body through a canal called the
urethra. Anything that interferes with this flow may cause the urine to
back up and stagnate in the bladder, making the urinary tract vulnerable
to infection.
UTIs are a serious health problem, resulting in more than 11 million
physician visits annually in the U.S., second only to respiratory
infection. About 20 percent of women will experience a urinary tract
infection sometime during their lives. Of those, 80 percent will have
another within 18 months. The incidence in men is less, although the
risk increases substantially with age in both sexes.
These infections are caused by the introduction of bacteria into the
urinary tract, usually Escherichia coli (E. coli). Once inside, they
thrive in the warm, moist environment. Ultimately, they begin to affect
urine production and the function of the bladder, resulting in painful
or frequent urination, nausea and fever.
Recurrent UTIs may also increase the risk of incontinence in women after
menopause. In the elderly, consequences can be much more severe,
including mental deterioration and respiratory distress.
The problem of antibiotic resistance Western medicine has
traditionally treated UTIs with antibiotics, but bacterial resistance
has become an increasing problem. More than 20 percent of E. coli are
now resistant to ampicillin, cephalothin and sulfamethoxazole and the
percentage is almost as high for trimethoprim and TMP-SMX.
Fortunately, new research indicates that cranberry can help prevent
and treat UTIs thanks to its ability to keep bacteria from adhering to
the walls of the urinary tract. The germs, rendered harmless, get
flushed out in urine.
| In one study conducted by Harvard
researchers in 1994, elderly women who drank 300 ml of
cranberry juice daily reduced their odds of having a UTI
infection by 58 percent. Another 2001 study published in the
British Medical Journal showed that a daily glass of
cranberry juice reduced women’s risk of developing a second
UTI by 56 percent. |
Keep bacteria at bay— the natural way
Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACs), which inhibit the
ability of bacteria, including E. coli, to “stick” to the urinary tract
wall. Findings published in the June 19, 2002 edition of the Journal of
the American Medical Association reported that not only are cranberry
PACs able to “un-stick” antibiotic-susceptible bacteria, but resistant
strains as well, and the effect can last up to 10 hours after
consumption.
While many fruits contain similar compounds, thus far only the PACs
of cranberries and blueberries have been shown to exhibit this effect.
Studies have shown that these PACs are structurally different from those
of other fruits tested, which may account for cranberry’s unique
ability.
Evidence for reduction in gum disease and ulcers
While cranberry is perhaps best known for its effect on urinary tract
health, newer research indicates that it may act elsewhere in the body
against other bacteria as well. The adhesion of the different types of
bacteria that cause both periodontal gum disease and stomach ulcers have
both been shown to be inhibited by cranberry.
A recent study reported that a unique cranberry juice component, NDM,
has the ability to reverse and inhibit the coaggregation of certain oral
bacteria responsible for dental plaque and periodontal disease in vitro.
Also, a preliminary trial using mouthwash containing NDM found that
the saliva of the experimental group showed a two order of magnitude
reduction in Streptococcus mutans (S. Mutans) compared with the placebo
group. S. Mutans is responsible for a large percentage of dental
cavities.
Peptic ulcers, too, may benefit from a serving of cranberries. A
constituent of cranberries has been shown to inhibit the adhesion of
Helicobacter pylori bacteria to human gastric mucus in vitro. H. pylori
is increasingly suspected to be the cause of peptic ulcers.
Contains more antioxidants than other fruits—even grapes
The medical community is quickly realizing the value of antioxidants
in fighting a wide range of diseases including heart disease, diabetes
and certain cancers.
According to a study published in the November 19, 2001 edition of
the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, cranberries have been
shown to contain more antioxidant phenols than 19 other commonly eaten
fruits including both red and green grapes.
Dr. Catherine Neto of the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth,
recently published a laboratory
“Cranberries contain the most antioxidant
phenols compared to 19 commonly eaten fruits. Cranberries
are loaded with antioxidants and should be eaten more
often.”
—Joe Vinson, Ph.D., research chemist at the University of
Scranton |
study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showing that
certain cranberry extracts also inhibited the growth of a variety of
tumor cells.
Other health benefits
Cranberries may also act as natural “probiotics” by enabling the good
bacteria in the GI tract to thrive, while inhibiting the bad bacteria
that promote infections and food-borne illnesses. A study by Leslie
Plhak, Ph.D., at the University of Wisconsin-Madison found that whole,
frozen cranberries contained compounds that inhibited the growth of
common food-borne pathogens but enhanced the growth of a beneficial
bacterium by as much as 25 times.
The prolific antioxidant properties of cranberries are the focus of
research on many health fronts. Some current areas of study include
cranberries’ effect on many areas of cardiovascular health especially as
it relates to cholesterol and stroke. The health potential of this
amazing fruit with its antioxidant and phytochemical stores has just
begun to be discovered.
How to use AIM CranVerry®
- Take 2 caplets per day. You may take more or less depending on
your needs.
- For best absorption and assimilation, take AIM CranVerry® on an
empty stomach.
- Close tightly after opening and store in a cool, dry, dark place
(70-75 °F; 20.1- 23.8 °C). Do not refrigerate.
Q & A
Can I take AIM CranVerry® with AIM BarleyLife® or other AIM
products?
- We recommend that you do not take cranberry juice with AIM
BarleyLife® because the acidity of the juice could affect the
alkalizing substances in AIM BarleyLife. Some people do take AIM
CranVerry® with AIM BarleyLife® because some of the AIM BarleyLife®
will be assimilated before the AIM CranVerry® caplets are completely
dissolved.
Can children take it?
- Yes, again because it is a safe whole food concentrate; just
like drinking cranberry juice!
Can I take more than the suggested serving?
- You may adjust your servings to your needs. AIM CranVerry® is a
whole food concentrate, so, like cranberries, it is safe.
Why doesn’t AIM CranVerry® come in a powder or liquid form?
- This would be a very bitter-tasting product. Remember that most
of the cranberry drinks on the market contain considerable amounts
of sugar or sweeteners. We do not believe we should add this to the
product.
What kind of coating is used on the AIM CranVerry® caplets?
- We no longer use a coating on the AIM CranVerry® caplets.
What temperatures are used in producing AIM CranVerry®?
- AIM CranVerry® is produced from juice which is freeze-dried at
sub-zero temperatures, thereby maintaining most of the nutritional
and enzymatic activity.
References
- Avorn, et al. “Reduction of bacteriuria and pyuria after
ingestion of cranberry juice.” Journal of the American Medical
Association 271, no. 10 (March 9, 1994).
- Howell, et al. “Inhibition of the adherence of p-fimbriated
Escherichia coli to uroepithelial-cell surfaces by proanthocyanidin
extracts from cranberries.” N Engl J Med 339, no. 15 (1998).
- Weiss, et al., “Inhibition of Helicobacter pylori adhesion to
human gastric mucus by a high-molecularweight constituent of
cranberry juice. Critical Reviews in Food Science & Nutrition, no.
42 (Suppl.) (2002).
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benefits AIM CranVerry in Canada ! |
