Cranberry has been used as a home remedy for urinary tract infections (UTIs) for decades, perhaps centuries. What was once mere folk medicine has been gaining support in mainstream medicine in the form of a significant body of evidence supporting its use and explaining its mechanism of action. It is believed that antioxidant compounds in cranberries, called polyphenols, alter the outer coating of the bacteria, preventing them from attaching to the urinary tract.
Adding to this ever-growing body of evidence is a new study from one of Scotland's top universities, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School at the University of Dundee. For the study, the researchers selected 137 women who had been treated for two or more UTIs in the previous 12 months. The participants were then randomly selected to receive either 500mg of a cranberry extract or 100mg of the antibiotic trimethoprim for 6 months. Trimethoprim is commonly used to prevent UTIs. The first occurrence of a UTI during the study occurred after a median of 84.5 days among the cranberry group and at a median of 91 days in the trimethoprim group, a statistically insignificant difference. While the cranberry group had a high rate of occurrence, about 36% versus 21% in the trimethoprim group, the dropout rate due to side effects in the trimethoprim group was almost double the dropout rate among the cranberry group: 16% in the trimethoprim group versus 9% in the cranberry group.
The researchers concluded "Trimethoprim had a very limited advantage over cranberry extract in the prevention of recurrent UTIs in older women and had more adverse effects. Our findings will allow older women with recurrent UTIs to weigh up with their clinicians the inherent attractions of a cheap, natural product like cranberry extract whose use does not carry the risk of antimicrobial resistance or super-infection with Clostridium difficile or fungi."
Learn more about the potential benefits of Cranberries at our website.
1. McMurdo, M. E., I. Argo, et al. (2008). "Cranberry or trimethoprim for the prevention of recurrent urinary tract infections? A randomized controlled trial in older women." J Antimicrob Chemother.
Back
