Pregnancy also increases the risk because the uterus sits on top of the bladder. As it grows and changes, pressure is put on the urinary tract, potentially blocking urine drainage. And that can cause infection.
Does Cranberry Juice Really Help?
This brings us to the question of the day: Can cranberry juice really treat a UTI? Or is this just a myth?
The answer isn’t as simple as it would seem. In fact, it appears that the answer depends on who you ask. Research on this concept yields mixed results, and some research may be flawed.
The concept that cranberry juice can treat and prevent urinary tract infections comes from the fact that certain substances found in cranberries can be beneficial. Unfortunately, this concept may not translate to actual treatment. This is why the Cleveland Clinic ranks cranberry juice as a top UTI treatment myth.
“There is an active ingredient in cranberries that can prevent adherence of bacteria to the bladder wall, particularly E. coli,” urologist Courtenay Moore, M.D., tells the Cleveland Clinic. “But most of the studies have shown that juice and supplements don’t have enough of this active ingredient, A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs), to prevent bacteria from sticking to the urinary tract.”
Many studies back this up. For example, one review sought to analyze data related to numerous studies and thousands of participants. It found that cranberry products didn’t reduce the occurrence of symptomatic urinary tract infections overall.
But researching this concept can lead a reader to recover opposite conclusions. For example, another study found that cranberry juice may prevent UTIs in sexually active women. Conclusions in that study found that it may reduce the severity of a UTI by 50 percent. That said, trials are said to suffer from limitations, which may compromise conclusions.