Breakthrough study isolates active ingredient in cranberries.

A landmark study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (October 6, 1998) found that condensed tannins, also known as proanthocyanidins, are the compounds in cranberry responsible for preventing and treating urinary tract infections. The Rutgers University team of scientists confirmed that these compounds, also present in blueberries, work by preventing E. coli bacteria from attaching to the urinary tract. The researchers used a process called bioassay-directed fractionation to isolate the compound, a process that took almost five years to complete. The Rutgers Blueberry and Cranberry Research and Extension Center has been conducting research and developing new cultivars of these two fruits since 1962.

BW Healthwire, October 6, 1998.

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