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Previous Volume 339:1085-1086 October 8, 1998 Number 15 Next

	Since this article has no abstract, we have provided an extract of the first 100 words of the full text and any section headings.

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To the Editor: The consumption of cranberry juice has been recommended for the prevention of urinary tract infections, and a 1994 clinical study¹ provides scientific validation of this claim. The effect is due not to the highly acidic nature of cranberries but to specific compounds in cranberries that inhibit the adherence of Escherichia coli to uroepithelial cells.^2,3

Bacterial adherence to mucosal surfaces, a prerequisite for the development of most mammalian infections, is facilitated by fimbriae, which are proteinaceous fibers on the bacterial cell wall. Fimbriae produce adhesins that attach to specific monosaccharide or oligosaccharide receptors on uroepithelial cells.⁴ Cranberries contain . . . [Full Text of this Article]

References

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Lee, Y. L., Najm, W. I., Owens, J., Thrupp, L., Baron, S., Shanbrom, E., Cesario, T. (2008). Anti-microbial Activity of Urine after Ingestion of Cranberry: A Pilot Study. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 0: nem183v1-nem183 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Neto, C. C. (2007). Cranberry and Its Phytochemicals: A Review of In Vitro Anticancer Studies. J. Nutr. 137: 186S-193S [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Kontiokari, T., Laitinen, J., Jarvi, L., Pokka, T., Sundqvist, K., Uhari, M. (2003). Dietary factors protecting women from urinary tract infection. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 77: 600-604 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Hasler, C. M. (2002). Functional Foods: Benefits, Concerns and Challenges--A Position Paper from the American Council on Science and Health. J. Nutr. 132: 3772-3781 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Howell, A. B., Foxman, B. (2002). Cranberry Juice and Adhesion of Antibiotic-Resistant Uropathogens. JAMA 287: 3082-3083 [Full Text]  
• Kontiokari, T., Sundqvist, K., Nuutinen, M, Pokka, T, Koskela, M, Uhari, M (2001). Randomised trial of cranberry-lingonberry juice and Lactobacillus GG drink for the prevention of urinary tract infections in women. BMJ 322: 1571-1571 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Daniels, I. R., Zaman, S. R., Gupta, K., Stamm, W. E., Scholes, D. (1999). Increasing Prevalence of Antimicrobial Resistance Among Uropathogens. JAMA 282: 325-326 [Full Text]