Cranberry products may not prevent urinary tract infections
Staff Writer |
Many American women swear by cranberry juice as a home remedy to help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
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But a new study finds that cranberry capsules didn't prevent recurring UTIs in older women who lived in nursing homes.
No significant difference was seen in the number of UTIs among those receiving the capsules versus a placebo pill, the researchers said.
However, at least one urogynecologist believes the study couldn't prove that cranberry products, including juice, might not help some younger, uninfected women.
In the study, Yale University researchers only looked at women living in nursing homes, whose average age was 86.
"Cranberry products have long been thought to prevent urinary tract infections, and many different cranberry products, including capsules, tablets and powders, are promoted for this purpose, but this study did not show that this product worked," said lead researcher Dr. Manisha Juthani-Mehta. She is an associate professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.
Hydration is likely the most important measure to take to prevent urinary tract infections, she said. "Older women can also try to remain clean and dry."
For these women who may be on fixed incomes, spending money on cranberry capsules may not be worthwhile, Juthani-Mehta said. "This study is another in a long line of studies that don't suggest that cranberry products work to reduce urinary tract infections.
"Many people firmly believe in their cranberry product, and to those people, I tell them to continue what they feel works for them," Juthani-Mehta said. "There certainly seems to be little downside to drinking cranberry juice if you like it."
Urinary tract infections are the most commonly diagnosed infection among nursing home patients, the researchers said. About 25 percent to 50 percent of women living in nursing homes have bacteria in their urine (bacteriuria), and 90 percent of those with bacteriuria have white blood cells in their urine (pyuria).
Dr. Elizabeth Kavaler is a urology specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Cranberry, tablets, capsules, juice really don't have much impact on the prevention or treatment of urinary tract infections," she said. "When you have urinary tract infection, it has to be treated with antibiotics." ■