Seunga (Jasmine) Han, PharmD Candidate
What’s the Truth?
How many times have you come across commercials or individuals that recommend consuming large amounts of cranberry juice to prevent urinary tract infections? To this day, it’s a very common practice, especially among those who prefer “natural” methods to improve health. But do these methods work? We’ll look into the evidence behind their use today.
What Is a UTI?
Before we get started, let’s talk about UTIs. Did you know over 33% of females experience a UTI by the age of 24?1 A Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection of your urinary tract system which includes your urethra, bladder, ureter, and kidneys, and can be categorized into two types:1
- Uncomplicated UTI: an infection in healthy, premenopausal, non-pregnant women
- Complicated UTI: an infection in children, men, and women with functional, metabolic, or anatomical abnormalities (pregnancy, diabetes, kidney stones, etc.).
What Are Some Signs and Symptoms of a UTI?
Despite how common they may be, one positive note about UTIs is that they’re very easy to recognize based on symptoms, and so are often treated quickly after visiting a healthcare provider. Acute cases of bladder infection present with:1
- Painful urination
- Increased frequency of urination
- Urgent feeling that you need to urinate
- Absence of fever
In the case of a bladder infection, it’s very important to ensure that there is no mucous-like, purulent discharge, as it could be indicative of sexually transmitted diseases or other infection. In such case, it’s important to seek advice from a health care professional as soon as possible.1
A Kidney infection, on the other hand, presents with back pain, fever, nausea, and vomiting, in which case you should also seek medical attention. Now, let’s take a look at the evidence behind the use of cranberry products for the prevention of UTIs.1
Cranberry Products
For many years, women have used various cranberry products in the form of juice, powders, tablets, and capsules to prevent UTIs.1
Unfortunately, recent studies do not support the use of cranberry products for the prevention of UTIs. In fact, it has been noted that excessive consumption of cranberry juice may interact with medications like warfarin, which can increase bleeding risk.1
What Can I Do to Prevent UTIs?
You’re probably now wondering to yourself what methods legitimately do work to prevent urinary tract infections. Thankfully, there are several evidence-based methods available that have been shown to be effective.
#1 Lifestyle Modification
If you’d rather avoid taking medications, there is some evidence supporting the use of these lifestyle changes for prevention:1
- Increase fluid intake
- Urinating post sexual intercourse
- Wiping from front to back
- Changing mode of contraception in women using spermicides
#2 Vaginal Estrogen Replacement
Postmenopausal women may benefit from vaginal estrogen replacement products. Formulations that are inserted vaginally are recommended over oral products as studies have shown that only vaginal estrogen products reduce the recurrence of UTIs.1
#3 Antibiotic prophylaxis
Those who experience UTIs more than three times a year or more than twice in six months may benefit from antibiotic prophylaxis. This is when a healthcare provider prescribes you a supply of antibiotics, which are kept on hand and used as needed. Based on the cause of the UTIs in question, the following approaches can be taken:1
- Use antibiotics before or after sexual intercourse
- Have antibiotics on hand, and treat when symptoms arise
- Take antibiotics continuously
However, it’s highly recommended that other steps are taken before using antibiotics to reduce the exposure to antibiotics.1
The Bottom Line
Contrary to popular beliefs, cranberry products are not recommended for the purpose of preventing UTIs. In this article, we’ve covered other ways to prevent UTIs, such as lifestyle modifications, vaginal estrogen replacement products, and antibiotic prophylaxis.
We hope you took away something valuable from this piece. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this article or others, feel free to reach out to us on Instagram, Facebook, or at ask@orbishealth.ca with your feedback. We’d love to hear from you.
RESOURCES
- DynaMed
