New Study Finds Cranberry Works as Well as Probiotics in Reducing Ulcer Causing Bacteria

New Study Finds Cranberry Works as Well as Probiotics in Reducing Ulcer
Causing Bacteria
Regular Intake of Cranberry Juice May Help Promote Digestive Health

LAKEVILLE-MIDDLEBORO, Mass., Aug. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- New research suggests
that cranberry juice can be as effective as probiotics in maintaining good
digestive health. The double-blind trial at the University of Chile found a
regular 6.8 oz. serving of 25% cranberry juice was as effective as the
probiotic studied in suppressing growth of H. pylori among asymptomatic
children. The study also showed the potential for an increased benefit when
cranberry and probiotics are combined.
"This research is exciting as antibiotics are currently the only effective
treatment for H. pylori, the most common cause of stomach ulcers worldwide and
a risk factor for gastric cancers," says Dr. Fritz Francois, Assistant
Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine. "Using
cranberry juice and probiotics to possibly suppress growth of H. pylori is
great news for physicians and patients who are seeking natural alternatives to
antibiotics."
Recent research has shown that eradicating all bacteria in the gut, which
is the case with many current antibiotic therapies, may create additional
health woes. Probiotics and cranberry inhibit H. pylori due to natural
mechanisms that work differently than antibiotic drugs, offering a way to
avoid side effects and support a healthy balance of bacteria. The cranberry
PACs work by providing a unique "anti-adhesion" activity against certain
harmful bacteria including those that cause urinary tract infections, gum
disease, as well as the H. pylori that causes stomach ulcers.
Ocean Spray is an agricultural cooperative owned by more than 600
cranberry growers in Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington,
British Columbia, and other parts of Canada as well as more than 50 Florida
grapefruit growers. Ocean Spray was formed over 75 years ago by three
cranberry growers from Massachusetts and New Jersey. Florida grapefruit
growers joined the Cooperative in 1976. Ocean Spray is North America's leading
producer of canned and bottled juices and juice drinks, and has been the
best-selling brand name in the canned and bottled juice category since 1981.
Ocean Spray posted fiscal 2007 earnings of roughly $1.7 billion.
SOURCE Ocean Spray

Sharon Newcomb of Ocean Spray, +1-508-946-7185, snewcomb@oceanspray.com; or
Kelly Kass for Ocean Spray, +1-617-520-7274, kelly.kass@webershandwick.com