Can cranberry prevent UTIs?
16th August 2011
Debbie, a woman in her early 30s, sat down in my room.
She smiled but appeared a little uncomfortable in the consulting room: “Michael, I think I have another bladder infection.”
She had typical symptoms; dipstick urinalysis demonstrated blood and nitrites. Her last UTI was two years ago. As we were finishing the consultation, Debbie asked: “Should I be taking cranberry juice?”
What evidence exists?
Step 1: The Cochrane Library
Search term: “cranberry” reveals a hit, however, the conclusion suggests weakness in the evidence base (in 2008).1
“There is some evidence that cranberry juice may decrease the number of symptomatic UTIs over a 12-month period... the large number of dropouts/withdrawals indicates that