Cranberry Juice Helps Fight H. pylori

SANTIAGO, Chile—A recent study published in Nutrition journal found regular intake of cranberry juice or a probiotic strand may be useful in the management of H. pylori. (2008;24(5):421-6). The multicentric, randomized, controlled, double blind trial was carried out in 295 asymptomatic children, 6 to 16 years old, who tested positive for Helicobacter pylori. Subjects were assigned in four groups: cranberry juice/Lactobacillus johnsonii La1 (CB/La1), placebo juice/La1 (La1), cranberry juice/heat-killed La1 (CB), and placebo juice/heat-killed La1 (control). For three weeks, subjects received 200 mL/d of cranberry juice and 80 mL/d of a La1 product. H. pylori eradication rates significantly differed in the four groups: 1.5 percent in the control group compared with 14.9 percent, 16.9 percent, and 22.9 percent in the La1, CB, and CB/La1 groups, respectively (P<0.01). The CB/La1 group showed a slight but not significant increase when compared with the other treated groups. No synergistic inhibitory effects on H. pylori colonization were observed when both foodstuffs were simultaneously consumed.