Cranberry juice often helps treat and prevent conditions associated with the urinary tract, such as urinary tract infections. Cranberry juice may also help treat kidney stones, although it depends on the type of stone. Consult your physician before adding cranberry juice to your diet if you have kidney stones.
Kidney Stones
Kidney stones are small masses that gather in your kidneys. There are different types of kidney stones made of various minerals, most commonly calcium. Other types of stones include cystine stones, struvite stones and uric acid stones. Kidney stones are common and, once you have had them, they are likely to recur. Symptoms can vary but often involve pain in the abdomen or the back. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, blood in the urine and fever.
Cranberry Juice and Kidney Stones
The effect of cranberry juice on kidney stones depends on the type of stone. In 2002, a study published in the “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition” examined the effects of black currant, cranberry and plum juice on kidney-stone formation. Researchers found that cranberry juice decreased urinary pH levels, causing urine to be more acidic. They concluded that cranberry juice could be helpful in treating brushite and struvite stones, but not other kidney stones.
How Cranberry Juice Works
Some of the chemicals in cranberry juice are able to prevent bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the urinary tract. Since the bacteria are unable to stick to the cells, they are unable to multiply and create problems such as a urinary tract infection. Cranberry also contains oxalate, however, a mineral that can combine with calcium to form kidney stones. According to MedLine Plus, cranberry extract tablets can boost oxalate in the urine by 43 percent.
Precautions
Speak to your physician before adding cranberry juice to your diet if you have had kidney stones in your past. Cranberry juice may help treat certain stones, while increasing your risk of developing other stones. Cranberry juice can also interact with certain medications, specifically blood thinners. Cranberry juice contains a significant amount of salicylic acid, which is similar to aspirin. Be careful drinking large quantities of cranberry juice if you are allergic to aspirin.
References
- MedlinePlus: Cranberry
- PubMed Health; Kidney Stones; January 2009
- “European Journal of Clinical Nutrition”; Effect of Blackcurrant-, Cranberry- and Plum Juice Consumption on Risk Factors Associated with Kidney Stone Formation; T. Kessler, et al.; October 2002
- National Kidney and Urologic Diseases Information Clearinghouse: Diet for Kidney Stone Prevention
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