NOW Foods Maximum Strength Standardized Cranberry Extract

Cranberry has become an essential component in the promotion of sound urinary tract health. Maximum Strength Standardized Cranberry Extract from NOW is naturally rich in powerful compounds called proanthocyanidins (OPC's). These OPC's help wash away undesirable particles that try to adhere to the wall of the urinary tract. NOW Maximum Strength Standardized Cranberry Extract makes it simple to support healthy urinary tract function. Each serving of NOW Maximum Strength Standardized Cranberry Extract delivers 1000 mg of Cranberry Extract, standardized to a minimum 6% Quinic Acid and 3% OPC's. For added support, NOW has also included 300 mg of Uva Ursi, scientifically shown to destabilize the membranes of undesirable particles, and 45 mg of rich Grape Seed Extract, an antioxidant high in OPC's.

• Maximum Strength
• Healthy Urinary Tract
• Standardized Extract
• With Uva Ursi & Grape Seed Extracts
• Washes Away Undesirable Particles
• Vegetarian Formula

Are Urinary Tract Infections (UTIs) a common problem?
UTI is a common infection that effects more women than men. National Kidney and Urological Diseases Statistics for the United States of America show that between 1988 and 1994 an estimated 34% of adults 20 years old and up (61 million people) self-reported having at least one UTI. More recent statistics also state that up to 60% of women will suffer a UTI sometime in their life, with one third of them experiencing a recurrence during the following year.

What causes these recurring UTIs?
Infectious bacteria enter the opening of the urethra and begin to multiply, and the infection begins. Unless immediately removed, the bacteria migrate upward, causing a bladder infection. If left untreated, the infectious bacteria can cause damage to the ureters and the kidneys. E. coli is the bacteria responsible for about 80% of UTIs in adults. The high rate of recurrence may be partly due to antibiotic resistant strains of E. coli formed by overuse of antibiotic medications.

How do cranberries help support urinary tract health?
Cranberries contain compounds that have the ability to prevent foreign particles from sticking to the surface tissues of the urinary tract. It was once believed that cranberries’ mechanism of action was limited to acidifying the urine. Recent scientific studies suggest that there’s more to Cranberry than just pH lowering. A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (339:15, 1085-1086, 1998) has shown that certain tannins found in Cranberry juice called proanthocyanidins (OPCs) are actually responsible for inhibiting foreign particles from adhering to the surface of the urinary tract. This causes the foreign particles to be suspended in the urine to be flushed down the drain. NOW’s Cranberry Maximum Strength contains one gram of Cranberry solids per serving, which has been shown to be an effective dose. Cranberries also contain a natural sugar called d-Mannose, which enhance the actions of cranberries to inhibit the formation of colonies on the urinary tract surfaces. However, though cranberry may help the body to control the spread of colonies, it is unlikely to remove already-existing colonies that may have formed on those surfaces in the urinary tract. Mannose is available from NOW as a separate supplement, too, for those seeking to maximize their intake of this nutrient.

What is the purpose of the Uva ursi and the Grapeseed extracts?
Uva ursi contains a component called 'arbutin’ that releases a substance that may inhibit foreign particles. Grapeseed is high in polyphenols and adds to the OPC content of the cranberries in this formula.

Do these ingredients treat infections?
No! While certain nutrients or herbs may reduce colony adhesion of bacteria related to urinary tract infections or inhibit the growth cycles of undesirable organisms, they are not antibiotics and will not remove existing colonies of bacteria that may have colonized the urinary tract. If you have a persistent urinary tract infection, please consult a physician for proper treatment and inform him/her of what supplements you are taking.

NOW's Mission
The NOW mission is - To provide value in products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives. NOW Foods is an award-winning and highly respected manufacturer of vitamins, minerals, dietary supplements and natural foods.

In 1948, with the natural food and supplement industry in its infancy, entrepreneur Paul Richard paid $900 for the purchase of Fearn Soya Foods—a Chicago based manufacturer of grain and legume-based products. This began a six-decade legacy of providing health-seeking consumers with high-quality, affordable nutrition products.

History of NOW
In 1968, NOW Foods was founded under the belief that good health was not a luxury available only to the wealthy. For the past forty years, NOW has made it their life's work to offer health food and nutritional supplements of the highest quality, at prices that are fair and affordable to all those who seek them. Today, NOW Foods is one of the top-selling brands in health foods stores, an award-winning manufacturer, a respected advocate of the natural product industry, and a leader in the fields of nutritional science and methods development. And while NOW has grown considerably over the past four decades, one thing has never changed – NOW's commitment to providing products and services that empower people to lead healthier lives.

NOW Commitments

• Customer Focused and Information Driven - NOW believes that their products, services, and the decisions they make should be primarily influenced by the desires and needs of NOW customers. The decisions that NOW makes should be based on accurate information and therefore NOW places a high value on knowledge and learning within their organization.
• Quality and Value Oriented - Acting in the best interest of NOW customers, NOW endeavors to produce the highest quality products at competitive prices. NOW's first priority is to maintain quality where it counts the most – in the products. NOW's exceptional cost-conscious team of employees then focuses their energies on driving costs down. Nurturing this competency of value drives NOW's ability to provide high quality products at the very best prices.
• Natural is Better - NOW is convinced that natural products are better than their synthetic counterparts and produce better results in human health. Therefore, wherever possible, NOW strives to provide products that contain natural ingredients because they are better for their customers.

NOW Science
NOW's experienced professional and technical staff formulates their products to be of the highest quality. NOW has a group of biochemists, chemists, nutritionists, and food technologists who review current science and nutritional parameters, and formulate our products to be effective for the intended use. NOW's structure/function claims are based on science for active ingredients, and on nutritional science for nutritional content. Serving sizes are based on doses from clinical studies and other published data. NOW's contemporary formulas are designed to meet the health and wellness needs of today’s consumers. NOW uses ingredients that have been tested for effectiveness in clinical trials and laboratory studies. The heart of NOW science is third party independent research. NOW investigates and review clinical studies and other lab studies conducted on their ingredients and their formulas. Best science is used to support best formulations which lead to best quality. NOW products are constantly being tested in clinical trials conducted at top universities and research centers around the country and in various parts of the world. NOW products are being tested to determine such things as effectiveness for joint support, quality of life for cancer patients, cardiovascular support, and athletic endurance. Effective products mean health and wellness benefits, which mean quality.

GMP Quality Assured
NOW’s GMP certification covers standard operating procedures, employee training, product specifications, expiration dating, vendor certifications and much more. Standard operating procedures include sampling and testing incoming materials according to NOW Foods specifications, inspecting manufacturing processes, and testing finished products to specifications. Tests include organoleptic evaluation (human senses such as sight, taste, smell), physical testing of tablets and capsules, chemical identity of ingredients, potency and contamination testing by the company’s in-house state-of-the-art analytical testing lab, as well as microbiological testing by NOW Foods’ in-house rapid analysis microbiological lab.