utis really can be prevented with cranberry juice: research
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cranberry juice and its supplements have been long-touted as an effective deterrent. getty
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a global study has confirmed what has been suspected for centuries: cranberry juice and its supplements can prevent urinary tract infections (utis).
the research, published in the journal cochrane reviews, found that consuming cranberry products can cut the risk of repeat symptomatic utis by 25 per cent in women, by more than half in children and by 53 per cent in people prone to such infections following medical procedures.
although the juice and its supplements, including capsules and tablets, have been long-touted as an effective deterrent, the most recent review of the literature in 2012 found no significant benefits. in an attempt to update these findings, researchers from flinders university and the children’s hospital at westmead in australia analyzed 50 recent trials, involving close to 9,000 subjects, and found they told a different story.
“this incredible result didn’t really surprise us, as we’re taught that when there’s more and better evidence, the truth will ultimately come out,” said gabrielle williams, lead author of the study. “utis are horrible and very common; about a third of women will experience one, as will many elderly people and also people with bladder issues from spinal cord injury or other conditions.
“even back in 1973, my mum was told to try cranberry juice to prevent her horrible and frequent utis and for her it’s been a saviour. despite me niggling in her ear about evidence, she’s continued to take it daily, first as the nasty sour juice and in recent years, the easy to swallow capsules. as soon as she stops, wham the symptoms are back.
“as usual, it turns out that mum was right! cranberry products can help some women prevent utis.”
canadian women see a doctor about a uti roughly 500,000 times each year
recurrent utis are more common in women — particularly post-menopausal women — than men and are generally viewed as a women’s health issue even though they are seldom discussed. canadian women make around 500,000 visits per year to doctors seeking treatment for a uti, according to the kidney foundation. the issue generally arises when e. coli living on the skin outside the body manages to enter the urethra, travel to the bladder and cause an infection. utis are more prevalent in women because they have shorter urethras, meaning bacteria does not have as far to travel to cause problems.
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according to jacqueline stephens, co-author of the study and an epidemiologist at flinders university, the prevention of utis is vital as untreated infections can migrate to the kidneys and cause more serious complications, including, in rare cases, sepsis.
“most utis are effectively — and pretty quickly — treated with antibiotics, sometimes as little as one dose can cure the problem,” stephens said. “unfortunately, in some people, utis keep coming back. without being sure if or how it works, some health-care providers began suggesting (cranberries) to their patients. it was a harmless, easy option at the time. even centuries ago, native americans reportedly ate cranberries for bladder problems, leading somewhat more recently, to laboratory scientists exploring what it was in cranberries that helped and how it might work.”
the research analyzed by the team revealed that cranberries do indeed pack a powerful punch of prevention with few drawbacks. “the vast majority compared cranberry products with a placebo or no treatment for uti and determined drinking cranberries as a juice or taking capsules reduced the number of utis in women with recurrent cases, in children and in people susceptible to uti’s following medical interventions such as bladder radiotherapy,” stephens said.
“it’s also important to consider that few people reported any side effects with the most common being tummy pain based on the results. we also did not find enough information to determine if cranberry products are more or less effective compared with antibiotics or probiotics in preventing further utis.”
dave yasvinski is a writer with healthing.ca
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