00:00 Drinking cranberry juice can prevent you getting urinary tract infections. True or false?
00:07 Drinking cranberry juice can prevent you getting urinary tract infections. True or false?
00:14 Well, like with most things in medicine, the answer is probably somewhere in the middle.
00:19 Let's start off with how does it work.
00:21 So the polyphenols in cranberry juice can actually prevent E. coli bacteria,
00:26 which cause 80% of UTIs, from doing their job.
00:30 It actually stops them being able to stick to the lining of the bladder and urethra.
00:35 So in theory, cranberry juice should be able to prevent UTIs, but there are a couple of limitations.
00:42 Firstly, some studies have said that in order for it to be effective,
00:46 you would need to consume about eight glasses a day.
00:50 Now, there are some issues with that.
00:52 This is a cranberry juice bought from a typical cafe.
00:56 When I look at the ingredients, it's mostly water, 25% cranberry juice, and fructose.
01:02 And when I did the little maths on how much sugar is in this bottle,
01:06 there's about 25 grams of sugar in this bottle, which is about five teaspoons.
01:10 And that's just one bottle. It's more than a glass.
01:13 So you might need to drink six of these to get that amount.
01:16 So is drinking cranberry juice a good idea?
01:18 To that extent, no, because of all the sugar, especially if you're diabetic.
01:22 And a note that if you take warfarin, you cannot take cranberry juice.
01:26 So what about cranberry capsules?
01:28 So that's a better idea, but actually, you can now purchase a food supplement called D-Manoz.
01:36 And D-Manoz is the active ingredient in cranberry juice that has this effect.
01:42 So that's your best bet.
01:43 And studies have shown that it can reduce recurrent UTIs by up to 45%.
01:49 So if you're looking for something to take over the counter
01:52 that might just reduce your risk of getting UTIs,
01:55 then I would suggest having a look at D-Manoz.
01:58 And a final point for me, you should not consume cranberry juice if you have an active UTI,
02:04 because it can make the urine more acidic, and it can make it more uncomfortable for you.
02:09 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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