Cranberry Supplements: The PAC Number That Isn't on the Label

What to buy

Theralogix TheraCran One is our pick. Each capsule states 36 mg of PAC, and it is on NSF/ANSI 173, a public testing list that checks the capsule holds what the label says.

Theralogix TheraCran One
36 mg PAC · $1.20 a day

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Want D-mannose in the same pill? TheraCran Max adds 1,000 mg of D-mannose to 40 mg of PAC in 2 capsules, on the same NSF list.

Theralogix TheraCran Max — Cranberry + D-Mannose (90-Day Supply)

Theralogix TheraCran Max
40 mg PAC + D-mannose · $1.34 a day

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Where to go next

Best cranberry supplement: the products we compared, ranked.
Cranberry dosage guide: how much PAC to take.

What cranberry does

Cranberries hold PAC (A-type proanthocyanidins). In lab tests of urine, PAC kept E. coli, the usual cause of bladder infections, from sticking to cells (Howell 2010). That is the main idea behind taking cranberry for UTIs.

What the research found, by group.
Who	Evidence	What trials found
Women who get UTIs often	Moderate	A Cochrane review found fewer repeat UTIs with cranberry products.
Children	Moderate	The same review found fewer UTIs in children.
After medical procedures	Moderate	Fewer UTIs in people at risk after procedures, in the same review.
Any adult, by dose	Some	A 2024 review found trials at 36 mg of PAC a day or more cut UTI risk by about 18%; lower doses showed no clear drop.
Older women in nursing homes	Little or none	A year-long trial in JAMA found no drop in bacteria and white cells in the urine, and about the same number of UTIs.
Pregnancy; bladder that does not empty	Little or none	The Cochrane review found little or no benefit in these groups.

Why most labels do not tell you the dose

Only 3 of the 12 cranberry products we checked print a PAC number on the label (Utiva puts 36 mg in its name). The rest give milligrams of cranberry, “Pacran,” or “equal to 25,000 mg of fruit.” Those numbers describe fruit weight, not PAC, so a bigger one does not mean more PAC. Look for “PAC” followed by milligrams.

How long does it take?

Months, not days. The trials in the 2024 review that found a benefit gave cranberry daily for 12 to 24 weeks (Xiong 2024). In a 6-month trial of healthy women with repeat UTIs, about 37 mg of PAC a day cut UTIs by 24% compared with about 2 mg, but the difference could have been chance (Babar 2021).

How much to take

At least 36 mg of PAC a day, one capsule of our pick. The dosage guide has a calculator.

Is cranberry safe?

For most people, yes. A few things to check:

UTI symptoms now: see a doctor. Cranberry does not treat an infection.
Warfarin: ask your doctor before taking cranberry.
Kidney stones: ask your doctor, since concentrated cranberry may not suit people who form stones.

Questions people ask

Does cranberry treat a UTI?

No. Cranberry was studied for lowering the chance of the next UTI, not for treating one you have. If you have symptoms, see a doctor; an infection may need antibiotics.

Is cranberry juice enough?

Juice has sugar and an unknown amount of PAC. A capsule that states 36 mg of PAC is the simplest way to know what you get. See the best cranberry supplements.