TOPLINE:
A systematic review and network meta-analysis found cranberry juice can help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs).
METHODOLOGY:
- With an increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance and over 50% women reporting at least one episode of UTI each year, identifying evidence supporting possible nondrug interventions is necessary, according to the study researchers from Bond University, the University of Helsinki, and the University of Oxford.
- The primary study outcome was number of UTIs in each treatment or placebo group; the secondary outcomes were UTI symptoms such as increased bladder sensation, urgency, frequency, dysuria, and consumption of antimicrobial drugs.
- Studies analyzed included people of any age and gender at a risk for UTI.
- Researchers included 3091 participants from 18 randomized controlled trials and two nonrandomized controlled trials.
TAKEAWAY:
- Studies used one of the following interventions: Cranberry nonliquid products (tablet, capsule, or fruit), cranberry liquid, liquid other than cranberry, and no treatment.
- A total of 18 studies showed a 27% lower rate of UTIs with the consumption of cranberry juice than with placebo liquid (moderate certainty evidence) and a 54% lower rate of UTIs with the consumption of cranberry juice than with no treatment (very low certainty evidence).
- Based on a meta-analysis of six studies, antibiotic use was 49% lower with the consumption of cranberry juice than with placebo liquid and 59% lower than with no treatment.
- Cranberry compounds also were associated with a decrease in prevalence of UTI symptoms.
IN PRACTICE:
“The evidence supports the use of cranberry juice for the prevention of UTIs. While increased liquids benefit the rate of UTIs and reduce antibiotic use, and cranberry compounds benefit symptoms of infection, the combination of these, in cranberry juice, provides clear and significant clinical outcomes for the reduction in UTIs and antibiotic use and should be considered for the management of UTIs,” the authors wrote.
SOURCE:
The study was led by Christian Moro, PhD, faculty of health sciences and medicine at Bond University in Gold Coast, Australia, and was published online in European Urology Focus on July 18, 2024.
LIMITATIONS:
The authors noted that some planned findings such as the impact on antibiotic use were reduced due to limited studies. Some studies on cranberry tablets also provided education with the intervention, which could have affected UTI recurrence rates. Nearly all the 20 studies that were analyzed included mostly women; thus, comparisons between genders were not possible.
DISCLOSURES:
Dr. Moro reported no disclosures.
A version of this article appeared on Medscape.com.