Did you know that cranberries aren’t just for Thanksgiving dinner and urinary tract infections? This tiny tart berry can also play a significant role in prostate health by helping manage symptoms of prostatitis and fighting against prostate cancer.
What’s Special About Cranberry?
Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) are fantastic sources of vitamin C and various antioxidants, particularly a group called proanthocyanidins (PACs). Cranberries specifically contain a unique type of PAC called B-type PACs, which assist in stopping bacteria from adhering to the walls of the urinary tract.
Around 50% of men can expect to experience prostatitis, a prostate condition, during their lifetime. The most common type of prostatitis is chronic nonbacterial prostatitis, characterized by lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) such as urgency, nocturia (waking up at night to urinate), dribbling, and painful urination.
Cranberries and the Prostate
In a study involving 42 men with chronic nonbacterial prostatitis (also known as chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome or CP/CPPS), cranberries’ ability to help alleviate LUTS was observed. Participants were assigned to consume either 1,500 mg of dried powdered cranberries or no cranberry supplement daily for six months. By the end of the study, those who had taken the cranberry supplement showed significant improvement in lower urinary tract symptoms when compared to the control group. The study’s authors concluded that their findings were “the first firm evidence that cranberries may ameliorate LUTS, independent of benign prostatic hyperplasia” 1.
In another study involving 48 rats with chronic bacterial prostatitis, the subjects were given either cranberry, ciprofloxacin (an antibiotic), E. coli extract, or no intervention. After four weeks, the rats given cranberry showed significantly reduced growth of bacteria and inflammation of the prostate compared with the control group. The most effective results were seen in the ciprofloxacin group 2.
Prostate Cancer Effect
Scientists at the University of Prince Edward Island examined various cranberry extracts’ impact on human prostate cancer cell growth. They discovered that cranberry extracts “can affect the behavior of human prostate cancer cells” and, their findings “further support the potential health benefits associated with cranberries” 3.
In more recent research, a cranberry extract effectively reduced the risk of urinary tract infections and LUTS in men undergoing radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Of the 184 men given cranberry extract, only 16 (8.7 percent) experienced a urinary tract infection associated with radiation therapy, compared to 45 of 186 men (24.2 percent) in the control group. The researchers also reported a lower rate of LUTS among men in the cranberry group 4.
Cranberries undeniably provide numerous benefits besides aiding in urinary tract infection prevention. Incorporating them into your diet or taking cranberry supplements can help maintain prostate health. The suggested daily dose of cranberry supplement is 500 mg, but always consult with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement program.
For more information on prostate health, visit prostate.net.
- The effectiveness of dried cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon) in men with lower urinary tract symptoms. ↩
- Do Escherichia coli extract and cranberry exert preventive effects on chronic bacterial prostatitis? ↩
- American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) extract affects human prostate cancer cell growth via cell cycle arrest by modulating expression of cell cycle regulators. ↩
- Enteric-coated, highly standardized cranberry extract reduces risk of UTIs and urinary symptoms during radiotherapy for prostate carcinoma. ↩
