Can Cranberry Juice Help With UTI?

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) will affect over half of all women at some point during their life. Those who experience a UTI will commonly deal with pain, burning, a strong desire to urinate, and urine that smells foul and is cloudy or red-tinted.

Some people have heard that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry supplements can be just as effective in limiting or eliminating UTIs as antibiotics and other traditional remedies. Does the research support this?

Conflicting Research

The studies that have been done on this subject are conflicting in nature. Cranberries contain an active ingredient called A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs), which can help prevent certain bacteria, such as E. coli, from attaching to the bladder wall. In theory, this can help prevent UTI symptoms.

In reality, though, most studies have shown that there simply isn’t enough of these PACs in cranberry juice or supplements to make a difference. A 2013 analysis did show that cranberry juice and supplements reduced UTI occurrence compared to women who took a placebo, but a 2012 Cochrane review revealed that there was no major reduction in symptomatic UTIs. However, this review did indicate that cranberry juice could decrease the number of UTIs in a given period for women who experience them recurrently.

It’s important to note that cranberry supplements (and of course, cranberry juice) are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so there is no accountability to ensure the right amount of the active ingredient is present in a given supplement, and whether it’s enough to prevent issues.

While there’s no evidence that cranberry juice and supplements hurt, there’s also no conclusive evidence it can help with UTIs. For that reason, it’s often best to visit with a doctor to talk about medically-proven options for treating urinary tract infections.

Get The Right Stuff

If you would like to drink cranberry juice to help with UTIs in addition to seeking medical help, make sure you’re drinking 100 percent pure cranberry juice rather than a blended mix that may contain other forms of diluted juice, and often have a high volume of sugar. Also beware of your calories when drinking pure cranberry juice—a cup of unsweetened juice has 116 calories, so it’s important not to consume too much.

Other UTI Prevention Methods

Here are a few other tips for helping prevent or reduce the frequency of UTIs:

Take precautions after sex: there’s a strong link between how often you have sex and your risk of UTIs; your risk also goes up if you have multiple sexual partners or a history of sexually transmitted diseases. If you’re at higher risk, avoid spermicides or barrier contraceptives like diaphragms. Your doctor may also recommend an oral antibiotic to take either before or after sex to lower risk.
Reduce bacteria: UTIs can result from bacteria in the rectum making its way into the vagina. This can happen during periods of constipation or diarrhea. Do your best to keep bacteria away from your urinary tract by wiping carefully and completely after using the restroom.
“Good” vs “bad” bacteria: for women who have gone through menopause, estrogen and probiotics may be used for recurrent UTI cases. Probiotics can increase “good” bacteria, or lactobacillus, which then colonize the vagina. These good bacteria also prevent bad bacteria, thus reducing UTIs.

Your doctor can offer further recommendations when it comes to supplements and medication for treating and preventing UTIs.