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Benefits
Features
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Pure juice from
cranberries (no fiber included)
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Most economical
way to get the benefits of cranberry juice
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Residue-free
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60-count
caplets
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Coated caplets
that won’t stick together
The
cranberry and health
Cranberry has long
been linked to helping defeat urinary tract infections, and
recent research is beginning to bear this out. To see how
this can be, we should first look at our kidneys.
The kidneys (one on
each side of the spine just above the waist) make urine,
which consists of about 95 percent water and 5 percent urea
and various salts. This urine exits the kidney via long,
thin tubes called ureters. The ureters (one from each
kidney) drain into the bladder, a small round organ that
acts as a holding tank. When the bladder fills, you get a
signal that it is time to urinate. The urine passes out of
your body through a canal called the urethra.
Anything that
interferes with this flow may cause the urine to back up and
stagnate in the bladder. The urinary tract then becomes a
sitting duck for disease.
The urinary tract
is subject to several diseases. One of the more common is
the creation of kidney stones, or calculi. Caused by
disease, infections, or mineral excretion problems, the most
common types of kidney stones contain various combinations
of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous, or oxalate. The mineral
deposits range in size from less than one-fourth inch to
more than one inch in diameter.
The occurrence of
kidney stones has a hereditary link, running in families,
and four out of every five patients with kidney stones are
males, usually between the ages of 20 and 30. Also,
differences in diet and fluid intake appear to have an
impact on the likelihood of developing kidney stones.
While kidney stones
are more common in males, urinary tract infections are more
prevalent in females. More than 60 percent of women
experience a urinary tract infection sometime during their
lives. For many women, infection is a chronic problem.
These infections
are caused by the introduction of bacteria into the urinary
tract. Once inside, they thrive in the warm, moist
environment. Ultimately, they begin to affect urine
production and the function of the bladder, resulting in
significant pain.
Any reduction in
kidney efficiency can have a drastic and immediate impact on
our health. Even a partial reduction in the kidney’s
ability to filter the blood will lead to the rapid buildup
of deadly toxins in the bloodstream. In severe cases,
patients may require a kidney dialysis machine to
artificially filter blood. Although this equipment does
prevent the deadly buildup of urea and ammonia in the
bloodstream, it is not as effective as the kidneys.
Flavonoids in cranberry
How do cranberries
help? When a cranberry is in its juvenile state, it is green
and bitter, making it unpalatable to most animals. This is a
matter of survival. If the young berry were a good food
source, it would be eaten too early in its development,
before the seed was mature and able to reproduce a new
cranberry plant.
At this early
stage, the cranberry produces a certain class of molecules
known as flavonoids, substances that have been investigated
for their nutritional benefits and antibacterial activity.
Studies have shown that the particular flavonoids produced
by the cranberry have a strong antibacterial effect.
But this is only
part of the story. As the berry matures, it benefits the
plant if a bird or other animal eats the cranberry so that
its seeds will be spread to new areas where it will
propagate and grow. To ensure that this happens, the plant
transforms the flavonoids that contribute to the fruit’s
bitter taste. The plant removes part of the flavonoid
molecule and replaces it with a sugar molecule. This has the
effect of sweetening the fruit, making it more palatable as
a food—and helping to ensure that the plant continues to
produce offspring.
Fighting
infection
This sugar molecule
makes cranberry effective as a nutrient within the urinary
tract. In the human body, different cells have unique
receptor sites. These sites can be thought of as a lock in a
door requiring a unique key to open the lock. The sugar
attached to the cranberry flavonoid seeks out an acceptable
receptor site to attach itself. In cranberries, the sugar
unlocks a receptor site on the walls of the urinary tract.
This explains
cranberries’ unique benefits. Cranberries contain a type
of flavonoid that is capable of defeating the bacteria that
cause urinary tract infections, and this flavonoid is
attached to a sugar that seeks out the cells that line the
urinary tract.
Research recommends
making cranberries part of your diet if you are prone to
recurrent urinary infections. A 1994 article in the Journal
of the American Medical Association indicates that
cranberry might reduce the levels of bacteria in urine. A
report in the Journal of Psychiatric Nursing suggests
that anyone troubled by urinary incontinence incorporate
cranberries into their diet to reduce the embarrassing odor
of this problem.
AIMCranVerry®®
AIMCranVerry®
provides a way to receive these benefits in convenient
caplets. Unlike many other cranberry products that are made
from dried and/or ground berries, AIMCranVerry®
is made from concentrated juice, minus the fiber, making it
easier for your body to absorb the available nutrients.
Unlike cranberry
beverages that usually contain large amounts of processed
sugar, AIMCranVerry® has no added sugar, so you
receive the benefits of cranberry juice without unnecessary
and nutritionally harmful calories.
Q & A
Can I take AIMCranVerry®
with AIMBarleylife® or other AIM products?
We recommend that you do not take cranberry juice with AIMBarleylife®
because the acidity of the juice could affect the alkalizing
substances in AIMBarleylife®. Some people do
take AIMCranVerry® with AIMBarleylife®
because some of the AIMBarleylife® will be
assimilated before the AIMCranVerry® caplets are
completely dissolved. However, AIMCranVerry®
caplets dissolve rapidly, so the acidity of AIMCranVerry®
may still affect the AIMBarleylife®.
Why doesn't AIMCranVerry®
in a powder or liquid form?
This would be a very bitter tasting product. Remember
that most of the cranberry drinks on the market contain
considerable amounts of sugar or sweeteners. We do not
believe we should add this to the product.
Can I take more than the
suggested serving?
You may adjust your servings to your needs. AIMCranVerry®
is a whole food concentrate, so, like cranberries, it is
safe.
Can children take it?
Yes, again because it is a safe whole food concentrate; just
like drinking cranberry juice!
How to use AIMCranVerry®
Suggested reading
Avorn, et al. "Reduction of
bacteriuria and pyuria after ingestion of cranberry
juice." Journal of the American Medical Association.
Vol. 271, No. 10. March 9, 1994.
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