Cranberry juice may fight viruses

Cranberry juice, which studies have shown to help disrupt bacterial infections of the urinary tract, may also work against gastrointestinal viruses. Within the last five years, an increasingly large number of studies have suggested cranberry juice to be an effective commercial product for the reduction of urinary tract infections in women. There is no definitive proof that cranberry juice prevents any kind of infection, bacterial or viral. But some groups of researchers are testing the possibilities. Viral gastrointestinal infections can cause cramps and diarrhoea, often deadly, especially in developing countries. Researchers from the St. Francis College and Mt. Sinai School of Medicine in New York, USA, did tests on animal viruses and suggested that the juice may help prevent viruses from infecting cells. The researchers treated intestinal monkey rotavirus SA-11 and a batch of goat viruses called reoviruses with a commercially available cranberry juice drink. It was found that the electron microscope images showed no viral particles in the cells treated with cranberry juice. The studies suggest a cranberry juice-induced antiviral effect upon selected intestinal viruses of animals. Additional studies in the form of human trials need to be performed to determine any beneficial effects of cranberry juice consumption as a means to help reduce the incidence of viral intestinal disease.