Most people eat cranberries in the form of cranberry sauce during holidays such as Thanksgiving. These berries and the juice that is made from them, however, are a nutritious and healthy way to get part of your recommended servings of fruit each day. Not only that, they may be even more beneficial for you if you get frequent urinary tract infections.
Urinary Tract Infections
Women are more likely to suffer from urinary tract infections, or UTIs, than men, with 20 percent of women developing them at some point in their lives, according to the National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse. These infections occur when bacteria adhere to the urethra and spread further into the urinary tract. Some women get UTIs over and over again, while others only suffer from them once or on rare occasions.
Cranberries and UTIs
Cranberries, especially cranberry juice and cranberry extract tablets, may help to prevent UTIs. Substances in cranberries called proanthocyanidins, along with the fructose in cranberries, make it less likely that bacteria will adhere to the urethra, according to a 2008 article published in "Newsweek." However, cranberries do not seem to be effective in treating UTIs since they do not dislodge these bacteria once they have attached to urethra.
Considerations
Speak to your doctor if you are on warfarin, since cranberry juice may interfere with warfarin, making it so this drug stays in your body longer. Cranberry juice also contains oxalates, which may increase the risk for kidney stones if you suffer from this condition. Since cranberries and cranberry juice cannot effectively treat UTIs, see your doctor for medication should you get a UTI.
Recommendations
If you don't suffer from frequent UTIs, you don't need to drink cranberry juice every day. However, if you do have this problem, regularly drinking cranberry juice can help to prevent recurrent infections. If you don't like the taste of this juice, or don't want to use up the calories for juice, you can take cranberry extract tablets. These are also effective, and may be even more cost effective than drinking juice, according to a 2002 article in the "Canadian Journal of Urology." Using other forms of cranberries in equivalent amounts may also be beneficial, although this hasn't been thoroughly studied.
References
- "Newsweek"; Can Cranberry Juice Cure Urinary Tract Infections?; Karen Springen; February 2008
- PubGet.com: A Randomized Trial to Evaluate Effectiveness and Cost Effectiveness of Naturopathic Cranberry Products as Prophylaxis Against Urinary Tract Infection in Women
- "American Family Physician"; Cranberry for Prevention of Urinary Tract Infection; Darren M. Lynch, M.D.; December 2004
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Urinary Tract Infections in Adults
- MedlinePlus: Cranberry
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