CRANBERRY JUICE DOESN'T INTEFERE WITH UTI ANTIBIOTICS
As little is known about the interactions between cranberry juice and the antibiotics frequently prescribed to women for urinary tract infections, NCCAM-funded researchers at the University of Washington have studied the effects of cranberry juice on the two most common antibiotics prescribed for this condition - amoxicillin and cefaclor. Two parallel studies were conducted - one for amoxicillin and one for cefaclor. In each study, 18 healthy women took a single oral dose of the antibiotic, with either water or cranberry juice cocktail. The data showed that cranberry juice did not significantly affect either antibiotic's oral absorption or renal clearance. Absorption took somewhat longer with cranberry juice, but the delay was small, and the total amount of antibiotic absorbed was not affected. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that cranberry juice cocktail, consumed in usual quantities, is unlikely to change the effects of these two antibiotics on UTIs. They noted that the same may or may not be true of other antibiotics, or when people who take antibiotics also drink a large quantity of concentrated cranberry juice.