Cranberry Juice and Urinary Infections

The idea that drinking cranberry juice could help prevent urinary tract infections was once considered an old wives’ tale. Over the years, however, some research has supported this idea. Now a meta-analysis of ten randomized controlled studies confirms that cranberry capsules or juice can reduce women’s risk of a UTI by roughly 38 percent. The benefit appeared strongest for women who had suffered multiple infections before entering one of the studies. They were nearly half as likely to get a UTI while consuming cranberries in some form.
Some cranberry juice is high in added sugar, and the best dose isn’t clear. All the same, the investigators and some commentators believe that adding some cranberry juice to the diet on a regular basis won’t hurt and might very well help susceptible women avoid urinary infections.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, online July 9, 2012]