Ladies, rejoice! There’s some great news related to cranberries and UTIs!
There’s nothing worse than getting a UTI (aka urinary tract infection).
It literally stops you in your tracks and, well, for anyone who’s had the good fortune of never experiencing one, there’s no better way to describe it than: it’s like you’re peeing razor blades!
UTIs are horrid!
Just briefly, UTIs are bacterial infections that can occur in any part of the urinary system, including the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Symptoms include:
- Frequent and painful urination.
- Strong urge to urinate.
- Cloudy or bloody urine.
- Discomfort in the pelvic region.
UTI treatment typically involves a visit to the pharmacy or GP for a course of antibiotics.
Like with anything health related, preventing UTIs is better than needing a cure — by which point things are usually excruciatingly painful — and this is where the humble (yet, *cough*, berry effective) cranberry comes in.
berry effective cranberry
Cranberry juice has been found to be an effective natural remedy for UTIs.
Time to hit the supermarket for some cranberry juice!
A study recently published in European Urology Focus found that people who drink cranberry juice are 54% less likely to develop UTIs.
With UTI affecting 50% of women in their lifetime, this is great news!
And when compared to other remedies like drinking more water or taking cranberry tablets, cranberry juice was more effective in preventing UTIs.
“Cranberry juice is an effective and easy intervention that should be considered for the management of UTIs,” lead researcher, Dr Christian Moro said, adding that the findings could help reduce the use of antibiotics to treat UTIs.
The study found that cranberry juice reduced the need for antibiotics by 59%.
““More than half of women experience UTIs and antibiotics are a go-to treatment prescribed by doctors. With antibiotic resistance increasing, it is vital to identify effective non-drug interventions,” Dr Moro said.
The reason why cranberry juice is effective in preventing and managing UTIs is to be thanks to the compounds that cranberries contain, which prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract thereby preventing infection.
To read the study, visit: Cranberry Juice, Cranberry Tablets, or Liquid Therapies for Urinary Tract Infection: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis.
While the “drink more water” solution is still a go-to when preventing ailments like the dreaded UTI, it’s certainly worthwhile stocking up on some cranberry juice to have it on hand when those initial symptoms strike.
Because let’s face it: as busy mums, who has time to get a UTI? Not me!
x G.
editor, journalist, digital content creator with a background in nutrition & dietetics.
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