Supplementation with high titer cranberry extract (Anthocran®) for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections in elderly men suffering from moderate prostatic hyperplasia: a pilot study

A. Ledda, G. Belcaro, M. Dugall, B. Feragalli, A. Riva, S. Togni, L. Giacomelli

Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences (SMO), Irvine3 Laboratories, Chieti-Pescara University, Italy. lu.giacomelli6@gmail.com

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• Pharmacology

OBJECTIVE: Recently, cranberry extracts have been tested as a nutritional supplementation in the prevention of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) as well as recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in subjects at risk, with mixed results. However, evidence of efficacy should be considered only for well-characterized and standardized products in a more selected study population. Moreover, the efficacy of these interventions in elderly must be further investigated. The aim of this pilot, registry study was to evaluate the prophylactic effects of an oral supplementation containing a highly concentrated and standardized cranberry extract reproducing the natural total profile of cranberry fruits, in elderly men with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), suffering from recurrent UTIs, over a 2-months follow-up.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: 43 men (age > 65 years) enrolled in this study freely decided to receive either a standard management (SM) only (n = 21) or SM associated with an oral supplementation (n = 23). Supplementation consisted in a daily administration of one capsule containing cranberry extract (Anthocran®) for 60 consecutive days. The clinical effectiveness in the prevention of UTIs was determined by the number of UTIs in the two months before the inclusion in the registry and during the supplementation period, and the number of symptom-free subjects during the registry period. Safety considerations were also performed.

RESULTS: In the supplemented group, the mean number of UTI episodes reported during the registry (0.8 ± 0.5) significantly decreased compared with inclusion time (3.2 ± 1.3), p-value = 0.0001. No significant changes were observed in control, SM-only group. Importantly, the cranberry oral supplementation was superior over SM at reducing the mean number of UTIs (p-value = 0.0062).

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that cranberry supplementation could be an effective and safe approach, within an SM program, for the prevention of recurrent UTIs in elderly men suffering from BPH avoiding some antibiotic treatments.

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