Cranberry juice has long been thought to be a natural remedy for UTIs, but recent studies have shown that it is actually ineffective at treating or preventing the infection.
One study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association1, found that cranberry juice did not prevent UTIs in women who were susceptible to the infection. The study participants who took cranberry juice supplements were just as likely to get a UTI as those who didn’t drink the juice.
Another study, published in the journal, Clinical Infectious Diseases, concluded that those drinking 8 oz of 27% cranberry juice twice daily did not experience a decrease in the 6-month incidence of a second UTI, compared with those drinking a placebo.
This is further supported by a third study, published in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews3, which looked at the use of cranberry products (juice, capsules, or tablets) to prevent UTIs in children and adults. The review found that there is no evidence that cranberry products are effective in preventing UTIs.
So, what’s the bottom line? Cranberry juice is not an effective treatment or prevention for UTIs.
References
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5300771
2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3060891
3. https://www.cochrane.org/CD001321/RENAL_cranberries-for-preventing-urin…'.
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