Dried cranberry may reduce symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB), according to new research.
Investigators randomly assigned 98 women with dry OAB and a mean daily 11.6 micturitions, 7.91 urgency episodes, and 1.67 nocturia episodes at baseline to receive 500 mg dried cranberry powder or placebo daily for 24 weeks.
Women in the cranberry group experienced 16.4% and 57.3% reductions in daily micturition and urgency episodes, respectively, and a 39.7% decrease in patient perception of bladder condition compared with baseline.
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The cranberry group had a significant 1.91 fewer daily micturitions and 2.81 fewer daily urgency episodes over 24 weeks compared with the placebo group, Bilal Chughtai, MD, of Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, New York, and colleagues reported in the Journal of Urology. The cranberry group also scored 0.66 points lower on the Patient Perception of Bladder Condition (PPBC) questionnaire compared with the placebo group. Mean volume per micturition, nocturia, and other survey outcomes (OABQ-SF severity score, OABQ-SF HRQL, SQOL-F, PFDI-20, POPDI-6, CRADI, and UDI-6) did not differ significantly between groups.
For comparison, daily mean micturitions declined less, by 0.78, 1.22, and 0.54, in placebo-controlled trials of the antimuscarinics solifenacin 5 mg and 10 mg and tolterodine, respectively, the investigators noted. In placebo-controlled trials of beta-3 adrenoceptor agonists, daily micturitions declined by 0.47 and 0.42 with mirabegron 25 mg and 50 mg, respectively, and by 0.64 and 0.91 with vibegron 50 mg and 100 mg.
The 2.81 improvement in urgency episodes in the cranberry group also compared favorably with reported declines of 0.76, 1.24, 0.94, 0.86, 0.92, 0.33, and 0.59 in placebo-controlled trials of vibegron 50 mg and 100 mg, tolterodine, solifenacin succinate 5 mg and 10 mg, and mirabegron 25 mg and 50 mg, respectively, according to the researchers.
In the cranberry trial, 1 patient each reported headache, skin rash, and mild constipation, but no one discontinued treatment.
“Daily intake of dried cranberry powder improved daily micturition, urgency episodes, and patient-reported bladder condition, supporting its use as a safe treatment for OAB,” Dr Chughtai’s team stated. The investigators encouraged a future multicenter trial of dried cranberry with a longer duration of at least 12 months to confirm its effects.
The predominant bioactive ingredients found in cranberries are anthocyanins, flavonols, tannins, terpenes, and phenolic acid derivatives, according to background information.
Disclosure: This clinical trial was supported by Naturex-DBS, LLC. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.
Reference
Cho A, Eidelberg A, Butler DJ, et al. Efficacy of daily intake of dried cranberry 500 mg in women with overactive bladder: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Urol. doi:10.1097/JU.0000000000001384
