How Cranberry Juice Can Help Treat A UTI

Urinary tract infections are very common. Although they tend to occur more often in women than in men, they should not be underestimated. Urinary tract infections in general are responsible for over 8 million trips to the doctor’s office annually, according to a new research. They can happen in people from any age group, children, middle aged, and the elderly; no one is an exception. In extreme cases where it is left untreated, UTIs can end up in the development of cancer and lead to death.

The most common method for treating UTIs is to utilize antibiotics. This is effective, but costly, and if you are prone to developing UTIs you may eventually form a resistance to antibiotic treatment. The best method for handling UTIs is to work on prevention and reduce their overall occurrence. After all, no one wants the hassle of dealing with this problem, even if it is not typically life threatening. A natural way to help prevent UTI development is to include cranberry juice in your diet.

Cranberry juice has an active ingredient called, A-type proanthocyanidins (PACs), which works to prevent bacteria, especially E. coli, from sticking to the walls of your bladder and other parts of your urinary tract. The PACs also stop E. coli from sticking to other bacteria which can limit its ability to grow and multiply. Regular cranberry juice that is sold in stores alongside sugar does not have enough of the active ingredient to be effective, so you will need to use a true undiluted and unsweetened cranberry juice to receive the benefit. It can only benefit you to add this drink to your UTI fighting regimen. If the infection persists, a trip to the doctor’s will be necessary to start your course on antibiotics.