Dr Michelle Dickinson: nanotechnologist on whether cranberry juice helps treat UTIs

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common bacterial infections. Over 50 percent of females and 20 percent of males suffer from at least one episode throughout their lifetime, and in children this is the most common bacterial infection.

New research out this week has found that the old wives tale of drinking cranberry juice to help get rid of the infection might actually have some truth to it, and could be part of the solution to fighting against antibiotic resistance.

The research published in the journal European Urology Focus carried out a review of 20 different studies that looked at 3091 participants.

The participants were given different amounts of cranberry, ranging from drinking 300ml of cranberry juice daily, taking cranberry tablets daily or taking a cranberry concentrate over several days. Whichever form they were taking their cranberry in, they were still ingesting proanthocyanins (PACs) which are the active ingredients in cranberry that are associated with its UTI fighting benefits. Proanthocyanins are known to inhibit the adhesion of bacteria, particularly Escherichia coli to the urinary tract walls.

The researchers found that while taking antibiotics resulted in a high immediate cure rate, repeatedly taking these treatments increases the risk of antimicrobial resistance. Some studies have already shown that 90 percent of UTI’s exhibit bacteria that is drug resistant, with most being resistant to two or more antibiotics.

The cranberry juice treatment resulted in a 54 percent lower rate of UTI’s compared to those who didn’t drink cranberry juice. Cranberry juice drinkers also had a 49 percent lower rate of antibiotic use, suggesting cranberry products might help to reduce the need for antibiotics when treating UTI’s.

The patients also reported feeling more relief from their symptoms.

So if you want to add one healthy item to your diet this week – it seems like cranberries might be a good pick.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It be Doctor Michelle Dickinson Nano Girl, joins me now
with our science study of the week of Morning. Good morning,
this is an interesting one. You're talking about urine retricting
fictions today. UTIs where I was going out. There was
always kind of always I never knew whether it was
a myth or whether it was helpful. You're always told
to drink cranberry juice.

Speaker 3 (00:34):
And I'm always really skeptical about these, like, oh yeah,
drink this fruit juice and it'll be good solutions. But actually,
there's a great new study that's out this week. It's
in the General European Neurology focus. It's free, it's oversource,
you can have a read of it. But basically what
it says is, yes, of all of the old wives
tales you've heard, drinking cranbery juice actually is one that's

(00:55):
now scientifically validated. And anybody who's had a UTI and
it's most of us, so women, twenty percent of males
will have one episode in their life, and anybody who's
had one as it's awful. It's also the most common
bacterial infection in children. What it says is they've basically
looked at over three thousand different people in these different studies,

(01:16):
and it doesn't matter if you're drinking three hundred milli
liters a day, you're taking it as a tablet, you're
having it as a concentrate, if you are having daily
cranb rejuice as part of your healthy diet. It really
does not only help to reduce the risk of you
getting a UTI, but it reduces the risk of you
needing to take antibiotics, It reduces your symptoms, and it's
all because of this beautiful chemical. It's a natural chemical

(01:39):
called a pro anthocyanin, and it basically inhibits or prevents
the adhesion of the bacteria in this case ecoli to
your urine tracked wall, so it stops the bacteria from sticking.
And that's actually how it's solving this problem. And so
they showed that fifty four percent of the juice drinkers

(02:00):
lowered their rate of beauty eyes. They're forty nine percent
lowered their rat of antibiotic use. And I'm super skeptical,
but I looked at the study and I was like, huh.
For the first time Old Wives tales.

Speaker 2 (02:10):
Are actually cranber is something in this and does it mature,
what concentrates the cranberry juices or what sort of format takes.

Speaker 3 (02:18):
No, So they did all this study and they basically said,
as long as you're getting some in there, it actually
doesn't seem to matter. So don't be drinking a liter
of it of a day, right, So they study people
who did three hundred milli liters, which is about a
glass a day. But you can have the tablets too,
which I have about the same amount. In just seems
to be a small dose. And these are people who
look at every day, so some of them were taking

(02:38):
it for six months, so it really has to be
part of a daily lifestyle. Sorry for the noise in
the background, I'm currently at Wellington Airport if you can
hear that. But it really is a great study. It's
really easy to read. European Neurology focus and yeah, if
utize is something that you struggle with, then you'd heard
about cranberry juice. The science now says it's a thing.

Speaker 2 (02:59):
Get into what Thank you so much, Michelle Trevor's Safe
its doctor Micheldikins than there.

Speaker 1 (03:07):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin. Listen
live to News Talks at B from nine am Sunday,
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