Since times past, cranberries have been used to both prevent and cure urinary tract infections (UTIs), whether as juice, pills, or capsules. Now, this conventional treatment is supported by credible scientific findings as well.
Cranberries appear on our screens whenever we search for home cures for urinary tract infections (UTIs) online. That raises the question of whether they are effective in treating the uncomfortable condition that most women suffer at least once in their lifetime. Cranberry aids in easing UTI symptoms together with medications because it has an ingredient that can stop germs from entering the mucosa of the urinary system.
It might also minimize minor infections and help prevent recurrent ones.
According to a study titled Recurrent Urinary Tract Infections Management in Women published in the National Library of Medicine journal, that is precisely 50–60% of women.
UTI’s are quite common in women
The most typical infection that affects women is a urinary tract infection, which can range from minor burning while urinating to cystitis with a high-grade fever. A recurrent UTI is one that has occurred more than twice in the previous 12 months.
The cranberry question was addressed after 50 prior studies involving 8,857 subjects were examined. Additionally, they discovered that consuming cranberries as a juice or taking them as capsules lowers the frequency of UTIs in women who experience recurrent infections, in kids, and in adults who are sensitive to UTIs after medical procedures like bladder irradiation.
According to the study, the chance of acquiring a UTI decreases by more than a quarter in women who experience recurrent infections, by more than half in children, and by just over half in those who are more likely to experience UTIs following medical operations.
According to epidemiologist Jacqueline Stephens of Flinders University in Australia, the research we examined used a variety of techniques to ascertain the advantages of cranberry products. The overwhelming majority of studies compared cranberry products with a placebo or no treatment for UTI and found that cranberry juice or capsules reduced the number of UTIs in women with recurrent cases, in children, and in people susceptible to UTIs after medical interventions like bladder radiotherapy.
The majority of patients in the 50 trials who did report side effects complained of stomach ache. Additionally, they didn’t directly compare cranberry products to probiotics or antibiotics. The majority of studies compared cranberry products for UTIs with a placebo or no treatment.
The study’s findings don’t generalize, among other noted inadequacies. For women who are pregnant, elderly adults, or those who have issues emptying their bladder, cranberries have not been proved to have any benefits. It does, however, indicate a decreased risk of UTIs in some populations.
According to epidemiologist Gabrielle Williams of The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia, this astounding result didn’t really surprise anyone because we are taught that the truth will eventually come out when there is more and better evidence.
