This Thanksgiving when you gather with friends and family, you’ll likely eat or at least be next to cranberry sauce. You might look at that sauce and think, “hey, that’s tasty!” or you may think something along the lines of “oh my, none for me,” but you probably won’t think “I bet these cranberries will help reduce worldwide antibiotic resistance.”
But that’s exactly what some scientists thought, although they are likely paid decent salaries to think about cranberries a lot. In any case, those thinking-about-cranberries scientists were at the International Conference on Polyphenols and Health where they presented evidence that cranberries may reduce the likelihood of recurring urinary tract infections. They went on to say that if more people drank cranberry juice then there would be less urinary tract infections, resulting in people using fewer antibiotics.
This is a big deal because nearly half of all women suffer from a urinary tract infection during their lifetime. (Men just above 10%). The most common treatment for these UTIs is antibiotics.
Antibiotics are a relatively new thing in terms of human history, and they were really great because they have saved millions and millions of lives, but some bacteria have adapted and became resistant to them. So a lot of scientists are now thinking we should use fewer antibiotics overall, so these bugs won’t be able to adapt as easily. And that’s where cranberries come in. They may be able to help a large-scale problem by reducing the likelihood of a small-scale one.
If you’d like to try a top-tier cranberry product, The AIM Companies offers CranVerry+, a unique combination of (500 mg) cranberry extract, resveratrol, mangosteen and beta-glucanase. It’s non-GMO and vegan. Be thankful for cranberries!
The AIM Companies 