# Cranberry juice is vile! (But it works, dammit) Some TMI **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 5, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201 "2003-12-05T18:26:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/21 "2003-12-05T23:02:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*…I switched my regular drink…to vodka/cranberry. \*\* There’s a name for that. A seabreeze? I love cranberry cocktail, but I rarely drink it. Hm. Sounds pretty good about now, though. ---
**Author:** ![mlerose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@mlerose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mlerose)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/22 "2003-12-05T23:02:39Z")
Hey, **Ivylass** , you can get the same benefits as cranberry juice from cranberry pills/tablets. IMHO, the powdered cranberry extract in gels works better than the pressed tablets, but YMMV. Just make sure you drink lots of water along with. And you don’t have to taste the cranberry. Plus, it has the added benefit of not having any sugar (if you’re drinking the juice, unless it’s PURE juice with NO SUGAR (read the label), it has sugar and that’s NOT good for a UTI). mle, who has used cranberry extract/water to stave off recurring bladder infections for 6 years. I like cranberry juice (the cocktail. with sugar. no other juices mixed with in the bottle, like cranrasp or cranapple. Just cran). But to fight a UTI I always use the extract and I cut down on all simple sugars I’m eating drinking. ---
**Author:** ![Nightsong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nightsong/32/3083_2.png) [@Nightsong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightsong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/23 "2003-12-05T23:44:26Z")
Hmmm. Cranberry and Grapefruit! Florida’s Natural makes a not-from-concentrate Ruby Red Grapefruit and Cranberry drink. (Although, oddly enough, I don’t see it on their website.) I would guzzle that until I was floating if I was given the chance, never mind it’s nice to slurp when I suspect a UTI is trying to enter the picture. * * * \<\< Earn cash in your spare time–blackmail friends. \>\> ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/24 "2003-12-06T17:11:38Z")
**Rysdad** , my bartender calls cranberry-and-vodka a **Cape Codder.** ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/25 "2003-12-06T21:14:54Z")
What **mlerose** said. I get rid of UTIs a lot faster now that I toss cranberry pills down my gullet instead of choking down the straight unsweetened juice. But I like ordinary cranberry juice and drink it every morning. ---
**Author:** ![BioHazard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3bc359/32.png) [@BioHazard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BioHazard)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/26 "2003-12-06T23:42:02Z")
I LOVE cranberry juice cocktail! I got very addicted to it back in junior highschool cross country practice. Nothing refreshes you more than a can of cran after a hard day of running. Also I had a drug test 2 days after I hung out with an old friend of mine who is very into…an illicit green smokable product…and passed the test! And I only drank 2 gallons in 2 days (only about double my average). ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/27 "2003-12-07T00:11:01Z")
Drinking anything with a high acid content will lower the pH in your urinary tract (and the rest of your body, for that matter) which makes it less hospitable to our friends the microbes. Also, the acid can disolve calcium or magnesium salt deposits, so if you have kidney stones and the like, it make help there, too. Orange juice is a better choice than lemon juice (lemons are sour because they have less sugar… oranges have more sour stuff in them, concentration wise). ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/28 "2003-12-07T01:36:02Z")
I prefer cranberry capsules to juice. It’s certainly better than taking antibiotics like Bactrim. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/29 "2003-12-07T03:08:16Z")
Also, pineapple juice is probably not a good idea. Though it has a lot of groovy acid, thanks to the plant’s rather interesting metabolism (It makes a 4 carbon organic acid to store during the day time while oxygen conentrations are high to avoid problems with rubisco’s dual affinity lowering sugar yeilds), it also has a bunch of indigestible (by humans) three carbon sugars, also thanks to it’s groovy metabolism. The sugars will end up in various body fluids, where bacteria, if present, can break them down. So, while you might end up with sweeter tasting fluids, it probably won’t help a urinary tract infection. ---
**Author:** ![LorieSmurf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a587f6/32.png) [@LorieSmurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LorieSmurf)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 6:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/30 "2003-12-07T06:07:33Z")
I second (or is it third) the cranberry capsules. You can find it at a regular ol’ drugstore next to the vitamins, herbs, and such. Works just as quickly as the juice. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/31 "2003-12-07T14:05:51Z")
I am going to look for the cranberry capsules. We have a health food store and spa in town that probably has them. ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/32 "2003-12-07T14:47:02Z")
Around here, the major drug stores carry the capsules, so you should be able to find them. If you decide to keep on the juice as well, try the Light Cranberry Cocktail by Ocean Spray. Less sugar (it has splenda in it, IIRC) but all the benefits of cranberry juice. If you need to cut it evn farther, it is great mixed 50/50 with a light diet soda. ---
**Author:** ![beagledave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6de8d8/32.png) [@beagledave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beagledave)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/33 "2003-12-07T19:15:00Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Lamar Mundane \* > \*\*This is true, in that the acidity makes for a less hospitible environment for the bacteria, but cranberry, as opposed to other acidic juices, has a secondary benefit. > > In simple terms, it prevents the bacteria (E. coli, mostly) from adhering to the cell wall in the bladder. > > Skeptics can search on Medline for _tons_ of peer-reviewed research on cranberry’s efficacy. \*\* To clarify, the acidity doesn’t have much to do with the efficacy. From [here](http://med.usd.edu/family/hfactor/2001/01maypg8.htm) > [@](#): > > Scientist’s now believe the effect is not due to the highly acidic nature of cranberries, but to specific compounds in cranberries that inhibit the adherence of Escherichia coli to uroepithelial cells. (3-4). Cranberries contain fructose, which has been implicated in the inhibition of the adherence of E. coli with type 1 fimbriae (mannose-sensitive), and an inhibitor of P-fimbriated (mannon-resistant) E. coli that has not been characterized. Condensed tannins (proanthocyanidins) have been identified as the compounds in cranberries that are responsible for preventing uropathogenis phenotypes of P-fimbriated E. coli from adhering to the urinary tract. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/34 "2003-12-07T19:25:15Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Otto \* > \*\*On the topic of the vileness of cranberry juice, while I think it’s yummy going in it makes my poo smell indescribably awful on the way out the next day. AFAIK cranberry juice is the only thing that has this immediate and dramatic effect on my poo. Anyone else notice this effect on themselves or is it just me? \*\* Not with cranberry juice but I have experienced a similar phenomenon a day after eating a pound of smoked salmon. My poo smelled like Lake Michigan (i.e.: dead fish)! ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/35 "2003-12-07T19:47:21Z")
Knudsen’s Cranberry Nectar is a good 100 juice cranberry drink that tastes pretty good – still a bit tart, not overly sweet, and (best of all IMHO) is not too heavy on the white grape juice, as a lot of mixes are. You can find it in natural foods stores (or the natural foods section of a larger supermarket, either frozen or bottled. (I’ve had three kidney stones and no recurrence since I started drinking cran juice regularly.) ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2003, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/36 "2003-12-07T19:49:45Z")
That’s “100% juice.” My typing is remarkably dyslexic today, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2003, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201/37 "2003-12-08T01:30:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ivylass \* > \*\*I am going to look for the cranberry capsules. We have a health food store and spa in town that probably has them. \*\* They are also available in large drugstores and pharmacie that carry supplements, like Drug Emporium. They don’t cost much. Good luck! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cranberry-juice-is-vile-but-it-works-dammit-some-tmi/217201.md?page=1)