Therefore, the potential of cranberry products to act as a nonantibiotic alternative for preventing UTI, thereby reducing the total amount of antibiotics prescribed for UTI, could have great public health significance. In November 2002, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a branch of the US National Institutes of Health, announced an initiative to fund research on the role of cranberry in promoting urinary tract health. As antimicrobial resistance continues to climb, the time is ripe to recognize the importance of further cranberry research.