Does Cranberry juice really help with a UTI? And if so, how does it help?

Question

Does Cranberry juice really help with a UTI? And if so, how does it help?

Answer 1

Yes it does. I do not know how it does, but I have had several and it has always helped me.

Answer 2

Cranberry juice is very acidic, and it kills bacteria on it's way out of the body.  Kind of like a natural antibiotic.  Drinking lots of water helps too, by flushing out the bacteria causing the UTI.  I've had a few UTI's in my day, and if you can't stomach cranberry juice, they sell cranberry pills at any Walgreens or Walmart.  Hope this helps, and good luck!

Answer 3

HERE IS THE REAL TRUTH

Well to help clean a UTI, the doctor will most likely recomend drinking lots of water. This is not because the water itself kills the bacteria, it is just that it will make you pee alot, and when out comes the pee, out comes some bacteria.

The cranberry juice is used for nothing more than a diuretic. In other words, the cranberry juice will make you feel the urge to pee alot. There is no magical propeties to it, no chemical cures, and it has nothing to do with it being acidic. It simply just makes you pee alot, therefore flushing the bacteria out.

So nice guesses to everyone else.

Answer 4

Cranberry juice has a chemical (a set of tannins called proanthrocyanidins) in it which prevents the bacteria from implanting or sticking into your bladder wall.  Since they can't implant, they can't reproduce and they're excreted out with your next urination.  

"Drink lots of clear liquids - up to 10 glasses per day. Avoid caffeine which can increase bladder spasms. Drink plenty of cranberry juice. It can be very helpful in preventing and treating a urinary tract infection. It works by preventing bacteria from sticking to the walls of the bladder where it can multiply and cause infection. Cranberry juice acts like a natural antibiotic to the urinary system. Not all juices do this....but cranberry juice and blueberry juice are two that do.

Here's why I changed my script: A letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM, October 8, 1998, Vol. 339, No. 13) told of a 1994 research study which validated the claim that cranberry juice prevents UTI's, and clarified that it is not because of the acidic nature of the cranberry juice, nor because of the Vitamin C content. It is if fact due to specific compounds called condensed tannins (specifically proanthocyanidins) in cranberries, blueberries and other vaccinium fruit species which prevent the attachment of P-Fimbriated E.Coli to the walls of the urinary tract. P-Fimbriated E. Coli bacteria is a major culprit in UTI's.

I suggest reading the NEJM article in its entirety. The article, Inhibition of the Adherence of P-Fimbriated Escherichia coli to Uroepithelial-Cell Surfaces by Proanthocyanidin Extracts from Cranberries can be read on the internet at http://www.nejm.org/content/1998/0339/00...

It is always helpful to know the scientific basis of the health information which we share with our students. "

Answer 5

I just asked my doctor that. He said, forget the cranberry juice, drink more water, lots more water.