Drinking cranberry juice if you have a urinary tract infection, or UTI, is a time-honored alternative treatment to taking antibiotics. While research has not proven that drinking cranberry juice will cure an existing urinary tract infection, drinking cranberry juice daily might help prevent UTIs from developing by preventing bacteria from sticking to the bladder walls. Bacteria that can't attach can't multiply and cause an infection.
Positive Research on Preventing Infections
A Finnish study published in the June 2001 issue of "BMJ" compared the effects drinking either a cranberry-lingonberry juice or a lactobacillus drink had on recurrent urinary tract infections in women. One group also served as a control. At the end of six months, 16 percent of the cranberry group developed a UTI compared with 39 percent of the lactobacillus group and 36 percent of the control group.
Negative Studies on Preventing Infections
Not all studies show a benefit from consuming cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections. Researchers from the University of Michigan School of Public Health reported on the effects of preventing UTIs with cranberry juice. The study, reported in the January 2011 issue of "Clinical Infectious Diseases," gave 8 oz. of 27 percent cranberry juice to 319 college-age women. Subjects who had an existing UTI were divided into two groups: One started drinking the cranberry drink and the other group took placebo. The group drinking the cranberry juice experienced a higher recurrence rate over a six-month period, 20 percent compared with 14 percent.
Research on Treating Infections
British researchers reviewing existing studies found no well-designed random-control studies on the effects of cranberry juice on existing urinary tract infections. The 2000 Cochrane Database Systematic Review concluded that well-designed, placebo-controlled studies to assess the effectiveness of drinking cranberry juice when you have a UTI still are needed before cranberry is used to treat UTI. Do not take cranberry in place of antibiotic therapy if you have a UTI.
Dosing
To prevent recurrent urinary tract infection, drink 3 oz. of pure cranberry juice or 10 oz. of cranberry cocktail daily, the University of Maryland Medical Center suggests. Commercial cranberry juice can contain large amounts of sugar, which can add to daily caloric intake and contribute to elevated blood glucose levels if you have diabetes. Consider drinking reduced-calorie cranberry juice or taking cranberry pills if you're watching your calorie or glucose intake.
References
- University of Maryland Medical Center; Cranberry; Steven Ehrlich; November 2008
- "Clinical Infectious Diseases; Cranberry Juice Fails to Prevent Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection: Results from a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Trial; C. Barbosa-Cesnik, et al.; January 2011
- "Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews"; Cranberries for Treating Urinary Tract Infections; R. Jepson, et al.; 2000
- "BMJ"; Randomised Trial of Cranberry-Lingonberry Juice and Lactobacillus GG Drink for the Prevention of Urinary Tract Infections in Women; T. Kontiokari , et al.; June 2001
