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Media Contact: Jere Downing
Cranberry Institute
(jdd@capecod.net)
(508) 759-6855 ext.15
EAST WAREHAM, MA (November 5, 2002) ---Scientists have studied the urinary tract health benefits of cranberries for decades. Now the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine/National Institutes of Health (NCCAM/NIH) has awarded a contract with Maryland-based McKesson BioServices to manufacture standardized, research-grade cranberry juice cocktail and cranberry extracts that will be used in cranberry clinical trials over the next several years.
NCCAM intends to evaluate the effect of cranberry on urinary tract infections (UTIs). Urinary tract infections are among the most common infections afflicting women. Six out of 10 women will develop a UTI, and many experience recurring UTIs. These painful and annoying infections account for 9.6 million doctor visits annually and over 1.6 billion dollars are spent on antibiotics used to treat these infections. The widespread use of these antibiotics has played a role in the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, which are now responsible for nearly 20 percent of UTIs. Research suggests that unique compounds in cranberries may inhibit both non-resistant and resistant bacteria from adhering to the urinary tract wall where they can grow and cause infections.
"We are extremely excited the NIH is funding extensive research into the health properties of cranberries," said Martin Starr, Ph.D., scientific advisor to the Cranberry Institute, a nonprofit organization that funds cranberry health research. "The results could have significant impact on the prevention of urinary tract infections, and potentially other types of infections as well," added Starr.
McKesson BioServices will be subcontracting with Ocean Spray Cranberries, Inc., who will be donating research product and analytical research services under the contract.
The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) was established in October 1998, by Congressional mandate, under provisions of the Omnibus Appropriations Act, P.L. 105-277 (42 USC 287c-21). The Center's predecessor, the Office of Alternative Medicine, was established in 1992. (http://nccam.nih.gov/about/). NCCAM supports rigorous research on complementary and alternative medicine to determine its safety and efficacy, and provides public and professional information on the outcomes of NCCAM sponsored research.
The Cranberry Institute was founded in 1951 to help support U.S. and
Canadian cranberry growers by sponsoring scientific research and disseminating
scientific information to consumers and health professionals about the
health benefits of cranberries. For more information go to www.cranberryinstitute.org.