Cranberry Concentrate Reduces Occurrence of Urinary Tract Infections in Spinal Cord Injury Patients

The results of a clinical study, recently published in the journal Spinal Cord, indicate that the use of Cran-Max(R) Cranberry Concentrate for people with spinal cord injury resulted in a significant reduction in both the incidence of urinary tract infection (UTI) and the number of subjects with a UTI over a 12-month period. In the randomized, double-blind, cross-over trial, conducted at the Spinal Cord Injury Unit of the Veterans Administration Hospital in Boston, MA, 16 subjects had 21 UTIs while taking the placebo, compared to only six subjects who had seven UTIs while taking the Cran-Max cranberry concentrate.

In the article, published in the 2008 edition of the journal, researchers concluded, “Despite advances in the management of neurogenic bladder, urinary tract infection represents a leading cause of morbidity and hospitalization. Cranberry extract tablets should be considered for the prevention of UTI in spinal cord injury patients with neurogenic bladder.”

In the study, patients were randomly assigned to receive either Cran-Max tablets or placebo tablets for six months, followed by the alternative preparation for an additional six months. Of the 47 male subjects who completed the study, results showed that patients with a high glomerular filtration rate received the most benefit from the cranberry supplement.


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