Posted on 08/24/2009 10:54:25 AM PDT by decimon
Current clinical evidence for using cranberry juice to combat urinary tract infections is 'unsatisfactory and inconclusive', according to Raul Raz.
"An apple a day..." Not all medical problems require a state-of-the-art solution, and it would be nice to think that products from the corner shop could treat a widespread and uncomfortable ailment. Cranberry juice and related products have been touted as a simple solution for urinary tract infections, but Raul Raz, a member of F1000 Medicine, finds little to support this claim.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are a common complaint. Between 10% and 20% of women will suffer a UTI at least once, and a third of these will experience it recurrently. Some recent studies support the use of cranberry as a preventative, but Dr Raz, Director of Infectious Diseases at the Technion School of Medicine in Israel, and his associate Faculty Member, Hana Edelstein, advise the medical community that "cranberry should no longer be considered as an effective [preventative] for recurrent UTIs".
Cranberry contains hundreds of compounds, and it has been difficult to determine which might be responsible for any therapeutic effect, hindering its adoption. Raz and Edelstein point to differences in clinical trial design and the lack of standardization for doses and formulation. There is a range of potential side-effects including stomach upsets and weight gain. Cranberry can also interact badly with other medicines such as Warfarin, commonly used to treat heart disease.
In any event, up to 55% of patients discontinue cranberry therapy after a short time. It would seem that the public have already voted with their feet.
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Notes to Editors
1. Raul Raz, Faculty Member for F1000 Medicine, Urology Faculty, is Director of Infectious Diseases at the Technion School of Medicine, Haemek Medical Center in Israel: http://f1000medicine.com/about/biography/1458805616101696.
2. Hana Edelstein, Associate Faculty Member, works for the Haemek Medical Center, Israel.
3. The full text of this evaluation is available at http://www.f1000medicine.com/article/11w8y35hg6gsx6y/id/1159865.
4. Please name Faculty of 1000 Medicine in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the website.
5. Faculty of 1000 Medicine, f1000medicine.com is a unique online service that helps you stay informed of high impact articles and access the opinions of global leaders in medicine. Our distinguished international faculty select and evaluate key articles across medicine, providing a rapidly updated, authoritative guide to the biomedical literature that matters.
6. Please contact Kathleen Wets, Director of Sales & Marketing, for a complimentary journalist subscription to Faculty of 1000 http://f1000.com.
I wonder if the vodka I put in my cranberry juice helps?
People are going to be wee weed up over this.
Now, let’s not get all wee-weed up about this.
Absolutely. :)
Al I can say is cranberry juice works for my wife.
it prolly helps you forget your problems, LOL.
My daughter has a tipped kidney. It will straighten out when she goes through puberty and is hereditary.
Cranberry juice may not work for anyone else, but it works for her. We’ve tried different kinds of juice, tons of water and even lemonade.
Cranberry juice and avoiding bubble baths are all that keep her from UTIs.
I'm glad it works for your wife. And don't call me Al. ;-)
Indeed. It makes the urinary tract infection a little less painful.
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Surely you didn't take offence to that.
Cranberry juice works. No doubt about it.
If I got with her, I suspect — counter to the title of this thread — that I’d have a much harder time peeing.
Works for me.
Looks like she’s already had three guys and she’s all red and splotchy.
I suppose “Do You Have to Let it Linger?” could make a good PSA jingle to encourage people to get prompt attention for their UTIs.
Cranberry juice does not prevent UTI, nor treat UTI, but does make the symptoms better. I recommend cranberry capsules (found in the vitamin section of pharmacies) to my patients receiving radiation to the pelvis which sometimes irritates the bladder causing UTI symptoms. The capsules have a greater concentration of the active ingredient of cranberries which acts as a mild anesthetic to the bladder mucosa. Cranberry juice also helps, but you would have to drink gallons per day to get the same effect.
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