Tolerability Study Indicates Effectiveness of Formula to Help Prevent Recurring UTIs

A new study being published in the journal Urology shows that Proantinox®, a proprietary cranberry-based blend used in hospitals and long-term care facilities as UTI-Stat®, and now available directly to consumers as new Cystex® Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox®, is safe and effective in significantly reducing the incidence of UTIs in women at risk for recurring infections. The study, conducted by Aaron E. Katz, MD, professor of clinical urology at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, also notes that those women who took the recommended doses of the formula significantly improved quality of life as measured by the American Urological Association (AUA) Symptom Index.

"The objectives of this study initially were to determine the safety, tolerability and maximum dose necessary of the proprietary Proantinox formula, but the secondary finding of efficacy was so significant, we felt it was worth noting," says Katz, who is also the director of the Center for Holistic Urology. "Normally you would expect at least 32 percent to 36 percent of the participants, based on history, to have at least one more infection or UTI symptoms during the study period, but we found only 9 percent of the sample had this occur."

The study looked at 28 women, ages 18 to 75, who had experienced at least two or more urinary tract infections in the past six months. In addition to the tolerability and efficacy findings, questionnaires were also completed at baseline, week four and week 12 to measure overall health and quality of life (QOL) based on the AUA Symptom Index.

"The scores indicated significant changes toward increased QOL in physical functioning in the study participants," says Katz.

The published report notes that this study appears to be the first to test a cranberry-compound that includes other ingredients D-mannose, bromelain, inulin and vitamin C that might also affect bacterial adherence in the urinary bladder. Published data on these other supplements support the results from this study suggesting that a combination product might be beneficial for the prevention of UTIs.

"This new studys findings are very exciting since they show that a small dose of Cystex Liquid Cranberry Complex with Proantinox may help prevent recurring UTIs versus asking women to drink multiple glasses of pure cranberry juice, which does not taste very good, or a half-gallon of cranberry juice cocktail every day, which is loaded with sugar," says Elizabeth Kavaler, MD, clinical assistant professor of urology at Weill Cornell Medical College and author of A Seat on the Aisle, Please! The Essential Guide to Urinary Tract Problems in Women. "In fact, just one tablespoon (15ml) of new Cystex Liquid Cranberry is equivalent to the cranberry benefit of eight, eight-ounce glasses of cranberry juice and has 17 times more proanthocyanidins (PACs) than cranberry tablets, which prevent E. coli bacteria the most common cause of UTIs from sticking to the cell lining in the urinary tract."