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Grapefruit Seed Extract & Urinary Infections

Jul 1, 2011 | By Kathryn Gilhuly
Grapefruit Seed Extract & Urinary Infections
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A urinary infection typically involves your bladder and urethra. Grapefruit seed extract provides an alternative to antibiotics to treat urinary infections. You can purchase grapefruit seed extract without a prescription but it may not prove safe or effective. Consider the benefits and risks of self-medicating your urinary infection and seek the advice of a qualified health professional.

Chemicals

According to Donal O'Mathuna, a bioethicist and herbal researcher who reviewed eight studies for The Irish Times, nothing found naturally in grapefruit fights urinary infections. Entirely pure versions of grapefruit seed extract supplements do not possess the antimicrobial activity needed to fight off bacterial infections, including urinary tract infections. O'Mathuna says that many commercially sold grapefruit seed extract products do fight infections but only because they contain added chemicals such as synthetic preservatives and disinfectants. Infection-fighting properties in grapefruit seed extract may protect you against UTIs if you take the supplement regularly, according to Steven Erhlich, a naturopathic medical doctor who wrote about alternative ways to treat UTIs for the University of Maryland Medical Center website. Ask your doctor about whether taking daily doses of grapefruit seed extract might help safely prevent UTIs.

Defining "Natural"

Grapefruit seed extract supplements, like all dietary supplements as of 2011, are not closely regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. This means you can't with certainty know whether any particular brand of grapefruit seed extract contains chemicals. Words such as "natural" on grapefruit seed extract supplements do not mean that the product contains no chemicals. A product label will not necessarily reveal this information. If you want a natural product to treat your urinary infection, you may not find it in grapefruit seed extract products. If you do find an all-natural product, it will likely not be effective.

Grapefruit Seed Extract Study

If you purchase a grapefruit seed extract to treat your UTI, it will likely contain chemicals, based on at least eight studies conducted over the past decade. Researchers in five countries -- Austria, Germany, Japan, Sweden and the U.S. -- tested the contents of commercially sold grapefruit seed extract products. An Austrian study, led by Markus Ganzera of the University of Innsbruck, found that many grapefruit seed extract supplements contain chemicals such as benzethonium chloride, according to a report published in the "Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry" in March 2006. Ganzera's findings closely matched the results of seven other studies, according to O'Mathuna.

Precautions

If left untreated, a urinary infection could lead to a serious and potentially fatal kidney infection. You gamble with your health if you treat your infection with a grapefruit seed extract supplement exclusively. Properties in grapefruit and benzethonium chloride can prevent your body from properly metabolizing medications. If you take grapefruit seed extract supplements with drugs, including birth control pills, you put yourself at risk for serious, even fatal side effects. If you take any kind of medication, ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking grapefruit seed extract supplements. Chemicals in some grapefruit seed extract supplements may also prove harmful to pregnant and nursing women.

References

Article reviewed by JamesS Last updated on: Jul 1, 2011

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