The Truth About UTI Remedies: Ditch The Cranberry Products, Urinary Tract Infection Research Suggests
If you’ve ever had a UTI, you’ve probably been told by a family member or friend to drink cranberry juice. But is that really going to cure your urinary tract infection?
Some people will swear the remedy works, despite science showing otherwise.
Read: UTI Symptoms: Warning Signs Of Urinary Tract Infection And How To Treat It
In a 2016 editorial published in JAMA, Dr. Lindsay E. Nicolle, an expert on urinary tract infections, concluded the evidence is “convincing that cranberry products should not be recommended as a medical intervention for the prevention of UTI.”
Some experts do have a different stance.
In a meta-analysis, also published in JAMA, the authors conclude, “the results of the present meta-analysis support that consumption of cranberry-containing products may protect against UTIs in certain populations.” However, the authors go on to advise their conclusion “should be interpreted with great caution.”
Before you down cups of cranberry juice or pop cranberry pills, adopt these preventative practices to keep yourself from infection: for females, wipe front to back after going to the bathroom, urinate right after sex, wear breathable cotton underwear, and avoid trying to hold in your urine, suggests host Hank Green in SciShow’s video below, “The Truth About Cranberry and UTIs.”
Every year in the U.S., there are as many as 8.1 million visits to health care providers due to UTI, the National Institutes of Health reports.
Instead of cranberry products, head to the doctor. Antibiotics are the most common treatment to alleviate the intense burning sensation while peeing, and frequent feeling of urination you experience during a UTI.
See also: Cranberry Juice Does Not Prevent UTIs, Study Says
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