- About 60% of Indians are affected with H. pylori infection
- Drinking cranberry juice helps prevent H. pylori infection and strengthens gut health
Dr. Jignesh Gandhi, Senior Consultant at the Department of General and Laparoscopic Surgery, Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai, discussed the key findings of Cranberries in Prevention of H. pylori Bacterial Infection and stated that H. pylori bacterial infection is a menacing threat to India’s health and its health economy.
What is H. pylori Bacterial Infection
The H. pylori bacterium causes gut dysbiosis, which impairs the stomach’s outermost layer of defense and results in a variety of clinical issues. If these bacteria are not regularly monitored, they can eventually progress from a persistent issue with acidity to a serious issue like stomach cancer. In India, the H. pylori bacteria affects about 60% of the population. Of these, 3% may have active ulcer disease, and a smaller fraction may experience surgical complications or a lifetime risk of developing stomach cancer.Treatment of H. pylori Bacterial Infection
As a standard of care, H. pylori is treated using a triple medication medical therapy regimen that lasts for two weeks. The issue is the prolonged course of treatment coupled with low patient compliance, which promotes the development of medication resistance and gives the H. pylori bacteria the upper hand, making the illness challenging to treat.“I had a chance to personally interact with the international leader from this research and also had some academic deliberations. In a country like India with a 60% and more population with H. pylori infection, suppression of 20% of infection merely by daily consumption of cranberry juice along with the medical standard of care would lead to a paradigm shift in the way we would manage this under-reported disease. This research is adapted to our country would not only affect the health economics but also reduce the incidence of a likely possibility of stomach cancer in this large, diversified population,” Dr. Gandhi added.
Cranberry Juice in H. pylori Infection
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Amy Howell, Associate Research Scientist, Marucci Center for Blueberry Cranberry Research, Rutgers University, USA said, “The proanthocyanidins or ‘PAC’ compounds in Cranberries has multiple health benefits and it is what makes it so effective in the suppression of H. pylori bacterial infection. Multiple types of research show that the anti-adhesion property of the PAC prevents the bacteria from sticking to the gut and hence prevents the infection at the very first stage. Since cranberry juice does not kill the bacteria, patients develop no resistance, so often seen with antibiotics. The natural gut microbe remains preserved. This is a very good reason for India to adopt this type of dietary approach for managing these infections.”According to Dr. Howell, routinely consuming 100% cranberry juice is a complementary strategy for reducing H. pylori infection and should not be considered an alternative to or replacement for antibiotics.