# Does cranberry juice fight urinary tract infections? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 6, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820 "2010-09-06T18:30:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/1 "2010-09-06T18:30:39Z")
I wasn’t sure if this was a myth or if there was a scientific basis for it. It looks like there is something to it. [From WebMD](http://women.webmd.com/news/20100823/cranberry-juice-fights-urinary-tract-infection-quickly) > [@](#): > > Aug. 23, 2010 – Scientists report that within eight hours of drinking cranberry juice, the juice could help prevent bacteria from developing into an infection in the urinary tract. > Previous studies have suggested that the active compounds in cranberry juice are not destroyed by the digestive system after people drink them, but instead work to fight against bacteria, including _E. coli_. This latest study, presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston, affirms that and provides evidence of the medicinal value of cranberries. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/2 "2010-09-06T18:40:00Z")
Yeah, this is a rare home remedy that actually works. Cranberry is incredibly acidic, and drinking it is enough to acidify the urine in your bladder. Drink enough, and it can help kill of any bacteria hanging out in your pee system. I used to work in a microbiology lab testing herbal supplements for contamination, and we were always happy to see cranberry, because we knew it’d be sterile. My boss one time for fun inoculated a cranberry suspension with a (technical term warning) massive buttload of E. coli, and not a single colony grew. ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/3 "2010-09-06T19:24:30Z")
And I got a riproaring UTI (people w/my disability are prone to them) I’d drink cranberry cocktail. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/4 "2010-09-06T21:01:32Z")
[An article](http://www.monoselect.it/documents/CranberryeUTI.pdf) that puts this recent study in context (pdf). Moderately effective as a preventative, poor evidence for it as a treatment. Dose in the clinical trials was 8 oz of unsweetened cranberry juice three times a day - not that dilute sweetened Ocean Spray cocktail crap, the very tart unsweetened juice that really makes you pucker. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/5 "2010-09-06T21:15:29Z")
I thought cranberry juice cocktail was bad, **etv** , for the reasons **DSeid** said. Whenever I feel like I’m getting symptoms of a UTI, I drink a buttload of cranberry juice, take lots of vitamin C supplement, and lots of plain water. And pee as often as possible. Actually, one time I had to go to the gynecologist b/c I thought I had one but by the time my urine came back, it came back clean. I’m guessing either it was in my head or the cranberry juice/vitamin C/water helped… ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/6 "2010-09-06T22:02:43Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Cranberry is incredibly acidic, and drinking it is enough to acidify the urine in your bladder. Drink enough, and it can help kill of any bacteria hanging out in your pee system. [Lots of drinks are almost as acidic as cranberry juice](http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/pH_drinks.htm); why doesn’t anybody suggest Pepsi for bladder infections? ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/7 "2010-09-06T22:19:53Z")
[It’s not the acidity](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080721152005.htm)- it’s that it makes it harder for e.coli to attach to the cells and infect. My doctor describes cranberry juice as creating a Teflon-like surface, which prevents uti, but it won’t cure one if it’s already present. ---
**Author:** ![KarlGauss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/karlgauss/32/3713_2.png) [@KarlGauss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KarlGauss)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/8 "2010-09-06T22:23:02Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > > [@Smeghead](#): > > > > Cranberry is incredibly acidic, and drinking it is enough to acidify the urine in your bladder. Drink enough, and it can help kill of any bacteria hanging out in your pee system. > > [Lots of drinks are almost as acidic as cranberry juice](http://www.21stcenturydental.com/smith/pH_drinks.htm); why doesn’t anybody suggest Pepsi for bladder infections? Yeah, you beat me to it. Cranberries effectiveness is not a result of its acidity. On the contrary, among other things, it contains substances which interfere with the ability of bacteria to adhere to the inside of the urinary bladder [link](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20646356) and [link](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19257836). BTW, in terms of cranberries effectiveness in urinary tract infections, the evidence doesn’t get much better than [this (a Cochrane review)](http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/o/cochrane/clsysrev/articles/CD001321/frame.html). ETA: And **Alice** beat me too. ---
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/9 "2010-09-07T16:23:51Z")
FWIW: My sister works for a group practice of urologists. All three urologists say there is no truth to the cranberry juice thing … just a myth. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/10 "2010-09-07T16:41:37Z")
I’ve found that it helps with the symptoms (if not necessarily providing a cure) for minor UTIs. Maybe it is only confirmation bias talking, but I really do think it helps. If you’d like avoid the sugar and extra calories, Ocean Spray makes a Splenda-sweetened version. No apple or grape juice to sweeten it up, just cranberry, water, and Splenda. 45 calories a cup (instead of 100 with the regular sugared variety) and seems to work even better on UTIs. Another thing I tried once or twice is aloe vera juice - tastes absolutely AWFUL, but it also seemed to really help UTI symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![rayman5321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@rayman5321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayman5321)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/11 "2010-09-07T17:11:18Z")
> [@Sarabellum1976](#): > > I’ve found that it helps with the symptoms (if not necessarily providing a cure) for minor UTIs. Maybe it is only confirmation bias talking, but I really do think it helps. > > If you’d like avoid the sugar and extra calories, Ocean Spray makes a Splenda-sweetened version. No apple or grape juice to sweeten it up, just cranberry, water, and Splenda. 45 calories a cup (instead of 100 with the regular sugared variety) and seems to work even better on UTIs. > > Another thing I tried once or twice is aloe vera juice - tastes absolutely AWFUL, but it also seemed to really help UTI symptoms. What is Splenda? It’s nothing but sucrose with the -OH groups substituted with -Cl. Is this safe? I wouldn’t touch this stuff with a 10 ft. pole. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/12 "2010-09-07T20:47:56Z")
I’ve downed a bunch of cranberry juice once or twice when I had a major UTI coming on. One started early in the morning on New Year’s Day - ever try to get a doctor then? Yeah. I drank as much (unsweetened, tart, non-juice-cocktail) as I could hold, and the symptoms were 100% gone before I could get to a dr. Anyone who’s had a UTI before and can identify the symptons should certainly see a doctor, but if for some reason you can’t afford it or there’s a delay, drink as much of the (real, tart) stuff as you can. Can’t hurt, might help. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/13 "2010-09-07T21:07:40Z")
> [@rayman5321](#): > > What is Splenda? It’s nothing but sucrose with the -OH groups substituted with -Cl. Is this safe? I wouldn’t touch this stuff with a 10 ft. pole. I’m somewhat amazed how people react to things like… basic chemistry. So an hydroxyl compound is replaced with chlorine. So what? Do you ingest salt? Because that is made from combining two incredibly reactive compounds. With the kind of logic that questions safety of Splenda simply based on the presence of a chlorine atom, then it would follow to think that if the chlorine in salt doesn’t kill you (mustard gas), the sodium will (explosive upon contact with water). Sorry if this is a little snarky, because I really can understand the skepticism and where it comes from, as we are taught that chlorine is bad (hey, its a sanitizer! hey, it destroys ozone!). However by the time one reaches high school chemistry, where table salt is the perfect example of how chemical bonds change things, that type of logic should be debunked and eliminated. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/14 "2010-09-07T21:24:43Z")
> [@silk1976](#): > > > [@rayman5321](#): > > > > What is Splenda? It’s nothing but sucrose with the -OH groups substituted with -Cl. Is this safe? I wouldn’t touch this stuff with a 10 ft. pole. > > I’m somewhat amazed how people react to things like… basic chemistry. So an hydroxyl compound is replaced with chlorine. So what? > > Do you ingest salt? Because that is made from combining two incredibly reactive compounds. With the kind of logic that questions safety of Splenda simply based on the presence of a chlorine atom, then it would follow to think that if the chlorine in salt doesn’t kill you (mustard gas), the sodium will (explosive upon contact with water). > > Sorry if this is a little snarky, because I really can understand the skepticism and where it comes from, as we are taught that chlorine is bad (hey, its a sanitizer! hey, it destroys ozone!). However by the time one reaches high school chemistry, where table salt is the perfect example of how chemical bonds change things, that type of logic should be debunked and eliminated. But it is only one molecule different from plastic\*!!! :eek: \*AKA not plastic. ---
**Author:** ![dzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f9b8f/32.png) [@dzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dzero)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/15 "2010-09-07T22:18:22Z")
> [@silk1976](#): > > I’m somewhat amazed how people react to things like… basic chemistry. So an hydroxyl compound is replaced with chlorine. So what? > > Do you ingest salt? Because that is made from combining two incredibly reactive compounds. With the kind of logic that questions safety of Splenda simply based on the presence of a chlorine atom, then it would follow to think that if the chlorine in salt doesn’t kill you (mustard gas), the sodium will (explosive upon contact with water). > > Sorry if this is a little snarky, because I really can understand the skepticism and where it comes from, as we are taught that chlorine is bad (hey, its a sanitizer! hey, it destroys ozone!). However by the time one reaches high school chemistry, where table salt is the perfect example of how chemical bonds change things, that type of logic should be debunked and eliminated. I agree. It’s too easy as a layperson to read an article in some wacky magazine or some crazy youtube video where the person sounds like they know what their talking about but in fact their thesis makes no sense if you have even a basic understand of what’s involved. I used aspartame (Equal) from the first time i could get my hands on it. Used it exclusively for at least a decade until Splenda came out. I didn’t grow an extra appendages. It didn’t screw up my neurochemistry - although to be honest it would have been impossible to tell. I jumped on the Splenda bandwagon with both feet and actually prefer it to sugar or honey. To be fair though, there have been situations where novel compounds have caused unforseen problems. The one I remember best was L-tryptophan. that was off the market for about 15 years I think because a change in the manufacturing process created a cross-linked form that caused a serious illness (EMS - eosinophil myalgia syndrome) and there were even a few deaths IIRC. So I won’t blithely dismiss any and all warnings. However I will require, at the very least, a truly plausible reason for it - not one that just sounds plausible. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/16 "2010-09-08T05:00:45Z")
> [@dzero](#): > > To be fair though, there have been situations where novel compounds have caused unforseen problems. The one I remember best was L-tryptophan. that was off the market for about 15 years I think because a change in the manufacturing process created a cross-linked form that caused a serious illness (EMS - eosinophil myalgia syndrome) and there were even a few deaths IIRC. > > So I won’t blithely dismiss any and all warnings. However I will require, at the very least, a truly plausible reason for it - not one that just sounds plausible. Oh, absolutely - new compounds can cause problems, but that is actually a different topic, albeit very closely related. There is the aspect of whether something that contains Chlorine is inherently bad for you because of the chlorine, but there is also the discussion of whether the long term exposure to splenda does not have ill effects of its own. In order to be consistent, if I am going to claim that bonding chlorine with the rest of a sugar molecule chemically alters the properties of how that chlorine atom reacts, then I also have to leave open the possibility that the altered sugar molecule may react differently as compared to normal sugar as well. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/17 "2010-09-08T10:32:00Z")
Also, it should be pointed out that the chlorine in Splenda is organic, whereas the chloride in salt is ionic. Organic chloride is practically unheard of in nature, so the analogy is not really appropriate. FTR, I’m not implying that Splenda is unsafe. I’d guess, for many, the calories in sugar pose a much greater risk. ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/18 "2010-09-08T20:44:32Z")
ehhh… organic chlorine?! First of all, wtf - second of all, so what? Chlorine is an atom with 17 protons in its nucleus. ‘Organic chlorine’ doesn’t exist. Sure, chlorine in splenda is attached to an otherwise organic molecule, but that doesn’t alter the chlorine atom itself. If you want to discuss the reactivity of chlorine when covalently bonded (which might be the case in Splenda) vs when its ionically bonded (table salt), that is a legit talking point - but an insinuation that some chlorine is organic and some is not is misleading. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/19 "2010-09-08T21:24:16Z")
… weirdest topic hijack EVAH! ---
**Author:** ![silk1976](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@silk1976](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silk1976)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2010, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820/20 "2010-09-08T22:00:01Z")
Hehe yeah. Sorry about that - I’ll refrain from future hijacks, especially since in this case I have nothing to add to the OP 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-cranberry-juice-fight-urinary-tract-infections/552820.md?page=2)