Concentrated Cranberry Juice
Without Added Sugar!

Cranberry has long been linked to helping defeat urinary tract infections. Folklore has it that cranberry juice can benefit the urinary tract, and recent research indicates that it can work to maintain urinary tract health.

The urinary tract is subject to several diseases. One of the more common is the creation of kidney stones, or calculi. Caused by disease, infections, or mineral excretion problems, the most common types of kidney stones contain various combinations of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, or oxalate. The mineral deposits range in size from less than one-fourth inch to more than one inch in diameter.

While kidney stones are more common in males, urinary tract infections are more prevalent in females. More than 60 percent of women experience a urinary tract infection sometime during their lives. For many women, infection is a chronic problem. These infections are caused by the introduction of bacteria into the urinary tract. Once inside, they thrive in the warm, moist environment. Ultimately, they begin to affect urine production and the function of the bladder, resulting in significant pain.

How do cranberries help? When a cranberry is in its juvenile state, it produces a certain class of molecules known as flavonoids, substances that have been investigated for their nutritional benefits and antibacterial activity. Studies have shown that the particular flavonoids produced by the cranberry have a strong antibacterial effect.

But this is only part of the story. As the berry matures, it benefits the plant if a bird or other animal eats the cranberry so that its seeds will be spread to new areas where it will propagate and grow. To ensure that this happens, the plant transforms the flavonoids that contribute to the fruit's bitter taste and removes part of the flavonoid molecule and replaces it with a sugar molecule. This has the effect of sweetening the fruit, making it more palatable as a food and helping to ensure that the plant continues to produce offspring.

This sugar molecule makes cranberry effective as a nutrient within the urinary tract. In the human body, different cells have unique receptor sites. These sites can be thought of as a lock in a door requiring a unique key to open the lock. The sugar attached to the cranberry flavonoid seeks out an acceptable receptor site to attach itself. In cranberries, the sugar unlocks a receptor site on the walls of the urinary tract.