Recurrent urinary tract infections: is cranberry extract helpful?
Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a commonly acquired bacterial infection especially in young, healthy women.
Cranberry has historically been used for the treatment and prevention of urinary tract infection; however, research has found conflicting evidence on its efficacy for urinary tract infection prophylaxis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of cranberry on the risk of urinary tract infection occurrence in women.
A systematic review with meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) that evaluated the efficacy of cranberry as prophylaxis of recurrent urinary tract infection in women was performed.
Randomized clinical trials published through January 2022 that compared any intervention with cranberry products with placebo in adult women were considered eligible. All statistical analyses were conducted using the random-effects model (Mantel-Haenszel method). Outcomes were reported as the number of participants who developed urinary tract infection. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.
Nine clinical studies were included in the meta-analysis.
The study concluded that cranberry products reduced the risk of urinary tract infection by 21% in women compared with the placebo group (0.79 [CI 0.67, 0.94], I² = 47%, P = 0.008). Subgroups were also performed, including cranberry (cranberry) juice encapsulated powder, culture-confirmed UTI, asymptomatic bacteriuria, and uncomplicated UTI. Notably, the data pool from RCTs that used cranberry (cranberry) tablets/capsules showed a RR = 0.71 (P = 0.005).
These data suggest that cranberry products may be effective in preventing urinary tract infection in women. However, these results should not be considered definitive, and further clinical studies are needed to confirm them.
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