It might seem counter-intuitive, but drinking cranberry juice can actually make you more thirsty because cranberries are a natural diuretic, or substance that aids in the removal of fluids from the body through urination. The higher the concentration of cranberries in your juice, the more diuresis, or loss of fluid to urine, you'll experience.
How Diuresis Works
As you drink cranberry juice, your kidneys become stimulated to pull more sodium into your urine. As the sodium is pulled from your body, it takes water in your blood with it, through your kidneys and into your bladder. Thus, even though you might have recently drunk a large glass of cranberry juice, your body could signal that it needs more water.
Benefits Of Cranberry Juice
Cranberry juice is safe to drink for most, and can lead to positive health effects. The chemicals in cranberries keep harmful bacteria from collecting in the urinary tract, preventing urinary tract infections, or UTIs. Interestingly, cranberries won't help if you already have a UTI, as they don't affect bacteria that are already present in the urinary tract. Cranberries also have been shown to help prevent bladder infections. Drinking cranberry juice regularly can also increase levels of salicylic acid in your body, which can reduce swelling, prevent blood clots and can have anti-tumor effects. In addition, cranberries contain vitamin C, antioxidants and fiber, which all contribute to a healthy body. More research needs to be done to determine how cranberries might affect serious health conditions such as existing blood clots and tumors.
Other Natural Diuretics
Cranberries aren't the only natural diuretics. Others include apple cider vinegar, artichokes, asparagus, coffee or caffeine, garlic, green tea, horseradish, oats, parsley, tomatoes and watermelon. Cranberries do have an edge over other diuretics, however, as they are "potassium sparing," meaning that although they encourage fluid loss, they keep potassium in the body while other diuretics do not.
Considerations
Drinking too much cranberry juice can lead you to an upset stomach or diarrhea, while drinking one quart a day or more for an extended period of time could lead to developing kidney stones. If you have a history of kidney stones or are already at risk for them, avoid cranberry juice. If you are allergic to aspirin, don't drink large amounts of cranberry juice, as the salicylic acid found in cranberries has properties similar to aspirin. Finally, if because of a health condition, you should avoid sugar, don't drink cranberry juice that has been sweetened.
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