Cranberry PACs key to promoting urinary tract health

Aug. 1, 2011 - PRLog -- The cranberry is getting an undeserved bad rap due to results released in July from a Dutch study comparing antibiotics and a cranberry supplement for preventing urinary tract infections. However, the study utilized a 500 mg cranberry supplement made from a whole cranberry extract with less than 10 mg of cranberry proanthocyanidins (PAC). Previous research has shown that 36 mg of cranberry PAC is required to inhibit bacteria from sticking inside the bladder.

In fact, findings from previous research have been so clear that the French government issued a health claim for the cranberry in 2004 – and reaffirmed it just this year – stating that 36 mg of cranberry PAC demonstrates this anti-adhesion effect on bacteria.

The findings of a recent study from the Netherlands, published in July in the Archives of Internal Medicine, show that the study used a supplement made from the whole cranberry. The most bioactive PACs come from pure cranberry juice, and according to a 2010 study from leading cranberry researcher Amy Howell of Rutgers University, it takes a minimum of 36 mg of those PACs to prevent bacterial adhesion.

Researchers from the Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam reported that some study participants were worried about contracting drug resistant bacteria while taking antibiotics, and results did show a higher rate of antibiotic resistance among those treated with antibiotics. Ninety percent of the bacteria specimens from the participants taking antibiotics showed bacteria resistant to the antibiotics. Cranberry supplements, however, do not kill bacteria, so they do not build resistance. Cranberry PACs attach to bacteria, so bacteria cannot attach inside the bladder. The bacteria are simply flushed out of the body.

“The results of the study show that low-dose antibiotics should not be the first choice in UTI prevention given the substantial increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria,” said Kevin Wade, vice president of Atlanta-based company Trophikos, LLC. “There is solid clinical experience and data that support cranberry supplementation for promoting a healthier urinary tract ‘IF’ the correctly designed cranberry supplement is administered.”

The first Trophikos product, ellura™, is a premium cranberry supplement that meets the need in the market for an effective, natural cranberry product that is designed using the latest scientific research to promote a healthy urinary tract. It has that required amount of 36 mg of cranberry PACs, as measured by the BL-DMAC method. In fact, ellura (known internationally as Urell®) is the only known cranberry supplement in the world to meet the standards of the French health claim.

About ellura
ellura™ is the premier supplement for promoting urinary tract health. Containing the purest American Cranberry extract, ellura is designed to flush bacteria out of the urinary tract so that you can be a healthier you. ellura is the only supplement with the required effective dosage of 36 mg of PACs – the active ingredient in cranberries that inhibits bacteria from adhering inside the urinary tract – as measured by the BL-DMAC method.
For more information on ellura, visit htttp:\\www.myellura.com.

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Trophikos, LLC, is an innovative organization committed to offering a new standard in nutritional supplements. Trophikos products are supported by science and are manufactured according to the highest standards to ensure safety and effectiveness.
www.myellura.com