Patients were given small amounts of cranberry juice each day for seven weeks. Of the 28 patients monitored, urinary tract infections were prevented in nineteen subjects. The remaining nine patients had significant colony counts of Gram negative bacteria, despite drinking cranberry juice. An additional small study that looked at the use of a cranberry juice concentrate in 800 mg capsules in 21 patients taking 12 capsules a day, found that six of those patients with pre-existing urinary tract infections had no results from the capsules. This led to the conclusion, once again, that cranberry juice cocktail or cranberry concentrates in capsules or tablets may have a better preventative effect for elderly populations, rather than a curative effect.
More research is needed.
Adding to cranberry's potential health benefits, a recent study found that an extract of cranberry inhibited an enzyme associated with a reduction in cancer risk. How to Use Cranberry Health conscious consumers have come to believe capsulated or tableted cranberry extract products have a distinct advantage over cranberry juice cocktail in that the high levels of added sugar added to cranberry juice are absent from the extracts. The extract is available in dietary supplement products as fruit or juice concentrates concentrate in 800 mg capsules. For those who prefer a refreshing beverage, in various studies between 5 to 20 ounces of cranberry juice cocktail daily is considered effective as a preventative for urinary infections. No doubt cranberry juice, its extracts and concentrates will continue to attract interest from consumers and scientists alike.