In July, we looked at a meta-analysis finding that cranberry products greatly reduced urinary tract infections (UTIs) among women. Now according to a new study, the same appears to be true for children.
Published in the Journal of Urology, the latest research found that cranberry juice with high concentrations of plant-derived pigments called proanthocyanidins (PACs) cut children's risk of repeat UTIs by two-thirds, versus a comparison juice. Some scientists believe that PACs are what gives cranberries their bacteria-fighting potential, such as it is.
For this study, a team of doctors led by Dr. Kourosh Afshar from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, enrolled 40 children who had had at least two UTIs in the past year. The children were randomly assigned to drink one of two juices: a cranberry juice rich in PACs or a juice free of all cranberry products. Over the course of one year, those who drank cranberry juice had UTIs at a rate of 0.4 per child, compared with 1.15 in the comparison group.
Yet while this preliminary study did show some promising results, there are still problems surrounding the issue, notes ACSH s Dr. Ruth Kava. There s no guarantee that store-bought cranberry juice will have the same PAC content as the juice used in the study, she says. Furthermore, getting kids to drink cranberry juice is in itself a challenge especially the purer varieties that often lack sugar.
Still, there may be room for this alternative remedy. Given the over-prescription of antibiotics, the threat of breeding drug-resistant bacteria is a significant concern. Although this is a small study, says ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ros, if these results are supported by further research, it might be a good idea for physicians and parents to be aware of this possible option, instead of automatically turning to antibiotics.