How Cranberries Help Urinary Tract Health

Lyle Hurd: Sherry, we’ve been talking about Cran-Max for urinary tract infections. How common are they? How do you get urinary tract infections, and what can you do not only to help relieve them, but to help prevent them? Sherry Torkos: Well, urinary tract infections—another name is bladder infection or cystitis—are actually a very common concern, especially among women; it’s actually the second most common infection that women suffer with every year; 20% of women will have a urinary tract infection every year. For some women it’s recurrent; they get a couple of urinary tract infections every year, and it can mean lost days of work, it can mean unpleasant symptoms and suffering. So, I think it’s important for people to understand that there are options available for prevention. There are things that we can do; supplements that we can take that can strongly support the benefits of our urinary tract. Lyle Hurd: You say that a woman may get them regularly. How often would somebody end up getting a urinary tract infection? Is it something that’s every couple of months, once a year, or is it something that’s really chronic with a lot of people? Sherry Torkos: Well, it depends on the person, but I know in my practice I’ve had women that seem to get them every month or every other month. And, often when you get a urinary tract infection the only way to get rid of it is to take an antibiotic. I think that people today are aware of the concerns of taking antibiotics, the side effects, the issue of resistance, developing yeast infections. And so, what I have seen is [that] a lot of women and men as well, are interested in prevention of urinary tract infections. And, there are options today. In fact, Cran-Max has been clinically studied and found to be very effective as a preventative for urinary tract infections. So, for men or women that are getting recurrent infections and [are] interested in prevention, this is a very strong option that’s available. Cran-Max has been clinically tested….it is made with a unique delivery process called bio-shield which actually protects the compounds, the beneficial compounds in the cranberry, allowing it to be absorbed and utilized by the body. Consumers can feel confident that when they choose Cran-Max they’re choosing a product that is based on clinical research and will deliver benefits. Lyle Hurd: As a scientist and as a consumer, how important is it, do you think, that people really learn to understand what a clinical test is rather than anecdotal and to make sure that they’re really looking at the right kind of information when they’re taking advantage of something like Cran-Max? Sherry Torkos: Well, I think clinical research is very important. How else do we know a product works? Certainly anecdotal evidence gives us an indication but unless a product has been clinically tested, and the gold standard is a double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical study—double blind meaning that neither the participant nor the researcher knows what is being tested, what product they’re getting—that’s the double-blind. The placebo-controlled is comparing the active compound to a placebo which is like a sugar pill or a blank pill and having the results published in a peer-reviewed clinical trial is very important…in a peer-reviewed journal. And, with Cran-Max there have been significant clinical studies. In fact, some of that research has been published in very reputable medical journals such as the Canadian Journal of Urology. Lyle Hurd: So, it’s really important to know everything you can about something you take to help a health condition? Sherry Torkos: I think so. And, when we’re looking again at Cran-Max—if you compare the benefits of Cran-Max versus other juice powder supplements or even just taking cranberry juice—only Cran-Max has undergone a significant level of clinical testing to really demonstrate the benefits for safety and for efficacy. Lyle Hurd: And, it can be something that’s very efficacious to take on a regular, daily basis as well? Sherry Torkos: That’s right. This is the type of supplement that I would recommend a person take on a daily basis for prevention of urinary tract infections but also for just optimizing health. We know there are secondary benefits to taking cranberry supplements such as Cran-Max in that it supports good gum health; it can help lower cholesterol levels and have some anti-aging benefits overall. Lyle Hurd: And, it has very high antioxidant properties as well. Sherry Torkos: That’s right. Lyle Hurd: Thank you. Sherry Torkos: Thank you.