April 25, 2023 -- For generations, people have used cranberries hoping to prevent urinary tract infections.
Turns out, it actually is an effective tool for some people, according to a review of studies that was published in the Cochrane Library.
Researchers looked at 50 trials that were performed to determine whether cranberries in juice, tablet or powder form might affect UTIs. The trials involved almost 9,000 participants.
“The studies we looked at included a range of methods to determine the benefits of cranberry products,” said review co-author Jacqueline Stephens of Flinders University in Australia.
“The vast majority compared cranberry products with a placebo or no treatment for UTI and determined drinking cranberries as a juice or taking capsules reduced the number of UTIs in women with recurrent cases, in children and in people susceptible to UTIs following medical interventions such as bladder radiotherapy,” she said.
The global review found that cranberry juice and its supplements can lower the risk of repeat symptomatic UTIs in women by more than a quarter, in children by more than half, and in people susceptible to UTI following medical interventions by about 53%.
“Even back in 1973, my mum was told to try cranberry juice to prevent her horrible and frequent UTIs, and for her it’s been a saviour,” said the study’s lead author Gabrielle Williams in a Flinders release. “As usual, it turns out that mum was right! Cranberry products can help some women prevent UTIs.”
UTIs are often quickly solved by antibiotics, but some people suffer recurrence.
“Very few trials compared cranberry products directly to antibiotics or probiotics alone, for example, and these treatments may be as effective as the fruit,” Science Alert reported. “No benefits of cranberries were shown for older adults, pregnant women, or people with bladder emptying problems.”
UTIs are more common in women than men or children. They can be painful and cause a range of bladder problems, even moving to the kidneys and, rarely, leading to sepsis, if untreated.