An article published in The Journal of Urology showed favorable results with women using 500 mg of dried cranberry per day for 24 weeks in helping their overactive bladder. I recommend you use Cranberry Complex by MediHerb which contains 2,500 mg of vacuum dried cranberry fruit. ~ Dr. Broussard
Efficacy of Daily Intake of Dried Cranberry 500 mg in Women With Overactive Bladder
November 17, 2020
The Journal of Urology
TAKE-HOME MESSAGE
- The authors randomized women with symptoms of overactive bladder without incontinence to 500 mg daily of dried cranberry powder or placebo for 24 weeks. Only 60 of 98 randomized patients met per-protocol analysis criteria; however, among these patients, cranberry (n=25) was associated with reductions in daily micturitions (−1.9 vs 0.0), daily urgency episodes (−4.3 vs −1.5), nocturia episodes (−0.6 vs −0.2), and Patient Perception of Bladder Condition scores (−1.5 vs −0.8) compared with placebo (n=35). Intention-to-treat analysis did not find significant between-group differences in these parameters; however, women on active therapy reported 1.0 fewer micturitions (P = .20) and 1.5 fewer urgency episodes (P = .08) than those on placebo.
- Although requiring validation in larger studies, these results compare favorably with mean differences in frequency and urgency parameters observed in placebo-controlled trials of antimuscarinics and beta-3 agonists.
Written by E. Ann Gormley MD
This study showed that over a 6-month time period women with dry OAB treated with dried cranberry extract had a significant improvement in the number of daily voids, urgency episodes, and patient-reported bladder condition, all without significant adverse effects. The beneficial effects of the dried cranberry powder were comparable to the benefits reported in other studies of second-line OAB therapies—anti-muscarinics and beta-3 agonists. This study raises a number of questions, including why it works, will it help wet OAB patients, and how will it compare in head-to-head trials with standard medical therapy?
Many patients with OAB, although bothered by their symptoms, understandably don’t want to take long-term medications, particularly when the drugs have significant side effects or put one at risk for future medical problems. Perhaps these same patients will be more willing to take a supplement, and dried cranberry powder will be a useful addition to our treatment armamentarium.
ABSTRACT
PURPOSE
To determine the efficacy of dried cranberry on reducing symptoms of overactive bladder in women.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Eligible women aged 18 or older with overactive bladder were randomized to either daily dried cranberry powder (500mg) or placebo (500mg) and followed for 24-weeks. Efficacy was measured by 3-day voiding diaries and Overactive Bladder Questionnaire Short Form, Patient Perception of Bladder Condition, Sexual Quality of Life-Female, and Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory surveys. Statistical analyses were performed by BIOFORTIS using SAS® software version 9.4.
RESULTS
Of the 98 women who were randomized, 77 completed all the visits, and 60 were included in the per protocol analysis. Compared to placebo, using per-protocol analysis, the cranberry group showed a significant reduction of daily micturitions (-1.91, 95%CI: -3.74, -0.88, P = 0.0406), urgency episodes (-2.81, 95%CI: -4.82, -0.80, P = 0.0069), and Patient Perception of Bladder Condition scores (-0.66, 95%CI: -1.23, 0.08, P = 0.0258) at 24-weeks of follow-up. Mean volume per micturition, nocturia, and the remaining survey outcomes did not differ significantly between the two groups (P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
Daily intake of dried cranberry powder reduced daily micturition by 16.4%, urgency episodes by 57.3%, and patient perception of bladder condition by 39.7%. However, an intent-to-treat analysis showed no statistically significant difference between the groups for these measurements (p>0.05). Future larger studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to further determine the long-term effect of cranberry on overactive bladder.
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