- New research has found that cranberry juice may enhance the efficacy of antibiotics, such as fosfomycin, used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) against drug-resistant bacteria.
- The study, led by Dr Eric Déziel in Montreal, exposed lab-grown E. coli strains to cranberry juice, finding that compounds within it made resistant strains more susceptible to antibiotic treatment.
- In 72 per cent of tested uropathogenic E. coli strains, cranberry juice not only boosted fosfomycin's activity but also suppressed the development of resistance-related mutations.
- Scientists suggest that a component in cranberry juice encourages bacteria to increase their sugar uptake, inadvertently leading to greater absorption of the antibiotic.
- While these preliminary findings are promising for combating multi-drug resistance, further research is necessary to confirm if drinking cranberry juice yields the same antibiotic-boosting effects in humans.
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