Dr. Raul Raz of the Haifa Technion says despite the popularity of drinking cranberry juice as a means for fighting urinary tract infections (UTI), there has been recent “unsatisfactory and inconclusive" clinical evidence regarding the effectiveness of the juice.
Alternative health fans and even those who stick to conventional medicine commonly accept the use of cranberry juice as a comfortable and convenient supermarket prescription for UTI. However, Dr. Raz, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the Haifa-based Technion School of Medicine, and his associate Hana Edelstein, advise against relying on the juice.
“Cranberry should no longer be considered as an effective [preventative] for recurrent UTIs,” they said.
Up to 20 percent of all all women suffer from UTI at least once in their lives, and approximately one-third experience recurrences. Men frequently rely on the juice to solve prostate problems.
The hundreds of compounds in cranberries make it difficult to determine which ones, if any, have any therapeutic effect, Dr. Raz said, according to Science Daily.
He and Edelstein also stated that large-scale use of cranberry juice can cause upset stomachs and a gain in weight. In addition, the fruit and its juice can cause problems when a patient is taking conventional medicine, such as Warfarin, used to treat heart disease.
The Mayo Clinic earlier this year published a report stating that lack of evidence suggests that cranberry juice should not be used a primary treatment for urinary disorders.
“There is some human evidence supporting the use of cranberry juice and cranberry supplements to prevent urinary tract infection (UTI), although most available studies are of poor quality,” the report said. “There are no clear dosing guidelines, but given the safety of cranberry, it may be reasonable to recommend the use of moderate amounts of cranberry juice cocktail to prevent UTI in non-chronically ill individuals.”
Dr. Raz is a member of “F1000,” an online research service run by scientists for scientists which provides updated consensus research papers and trends in biology.