How does cranberry juice prevent uti

There is limited proof that this is worth trying. Pure cranberry juice, cranberry extract, or cranberry supplements may help prevent repeated UTIs in women, but the benefit is small. It helps about as much as taking antibiotics to prevent another UTI. No single concentration of cranberry juice, extract, or supplement has been studied, so it's hard to know which product to choose.

If you do want to try cranberry juice to prevent UTIs, it's better to drink pure, unsweetened cranberry juice rather than cranberry juice cocktail. Drinking cranberry juice cocktail doesn't seem to prevent UTIs better than drinking any other fruit juice.

There is no proof that cranberry can cure a UTI. Cranberry is not well tested as a UTI treatment. Seifert MD - Urology. Author: Healthwise Staff.

Medical Review: E. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. One of the most widely held beliefs about UTIs is that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry supplements can prevent and get rid of them.

Overall, clinical studies on the efficacy of cranberry juices and extracts for preventing UTIs are conflicting. One analysis of 13 different trials concluded that cranberry juice and tablets did reduce the occurrence of UTIs compared to placebo in women with recurrent UTIs.

Therefore, products may not have enough of the active ingredient to be effective in preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall. Moore notes. The bottom line? A urinary tract infection UTI can affect any part of the urinary system, kidneys, bladder or urethra. Symptoms include frequent, painful urination, pelvic pain and traces blood in the urine.

The infection does not normally last long, and most patients self-diagnose. For many, the first port of call is a box of cranberry juice.

However, new research suggests that while cranberry capsules can help, cranberry juice may be little more than a panacea. The team studied patients aged years who were undergoing elective gynecological surgery between Half of the patients received two cranberry juice capsules twice daily — the equivalent in strength to two 8-ounce servings of cranberry juice — for 6 weeks after surgery. The others took a placebo.

So, how does it work? For a UTI to occur, bacteria must adhere to and invade the lining of the bladder. However, the researchers point out that since a cranberry capsule provides the equivalent of 8 ounces of cranberry juice, a patient would need a lot of pure cranberry to prevent an infection. This amount of concentration is not found in the juices we drink. It can offer more hydration and possibly wash bacteria from your body more effectively, but the active ingredient in cranberry is long gone by the time it reaches your bladder.

He also cautions that a UTI and an overactive bladder may show similar symptoms, and people should seek medical advice if any adverse symptoms appear, to prevent UTIs from developing into kidney infections. Treatment of UTIs can be complicated.