Cranberry Juice and Kidney Stones

There has been an ongoing debate on the effectiveness of cranberry juices in treating kidney stones. Recently, a lot of medical research has been carried out all over the USA and every research team has come out with some startling observations related to these two issues.

Formation of Kidney Stones
Kidneys help in filtering the blood and removing the wastes of the body. Besides these, they also help to controlling the electrolyte levels in the body, so they are effective in balancing the fluid content. The waste present in the body is transferred through the ureter, from the kidney into the urinary bladder. In many cases, the chemicals that constitute the urine, crystallize to form hard substances that appear like a stone and these are called the kidney stones. They can be formed either in the urinary bladder or the urinary tract and usually vary in shape and size. They are also caused by various medical conditions like gout and various other type of disease. Kidney stones are accompanied by severe pain in the abdomen area.

Is Cranberry Juice Really Effective?
Earlier there was a belief that kidney stones are cured with cranberry juices. However, medical researchers have proved it wrong. According to the reports in August 2005, they tend to boost the urinary levels of calcium as well as oxalate and a major section of people suffering from kidney stones have calcium oxalate as the main stone ingredient. Calcium oxalate is the most common type of kidney stones. The researchers asked a group of nearly 20-24 adults to drink a liter of cranberry juice per day for one week and a liter of water each day in the next week. The urine samples of the participants in the research, was collected on the last two days of each week. It was found that the content of calcium oxalate increased on an average by 18%. It is to be remembered that oxalate is a substance found in foods such as coffee, nuts and chocolates. That is the same ingredient in cranberry juice! Kidney stones formation in adults is fostered by drinking cranberry juice, so said the researchers. Basically, vitamin C is found in the juice and it is believed to promote the growth of calcium oxalate in the body. Thus, this set of researchers actually postulated against the theory that this juice has been effective in reducing occurrences of kidney stones.

Various Medical Benefits Of Cranberry Juice
They have been indeed popular as a home remedy for urinary tract infections (UTI). Since it was found to be effective in treating the infections in the urinary tract, people had assumed that it would be useful for kidney stones too, however, many researchers have contested the belief. The presence of high levels of a compound named oligomeric proanthocyanidins in cranberry, makes it an excellent cure for such infections. Besides these, it has been very effective in the treatment of ulcers, cancer, respiratory infections and cardiovascular diseases.

These are some of the benefits of cranberry juice that I have highlighted in this article. It is indeed essential to consult a nutritionist before going you proceed to include it in your diet.