A few studies have found that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry pills can prevent UTIs, especially in women who are at risk for these infections:
• One study looked at women who had a history of urinary tract infections caused by E. coli bacteria. Women who drank 1.7 ounces of cranberry-lingonberry juice concentrate every day for six months lowered their risk of getting a UTI by 20% compared to women who didn't use any intervention.
• In another study, cranberry juice and cranberry tablets were linked to fewer patients who experienced at least one symptomatic UTI. In the study, sexually active women took one tablet of concentrated cranberry twice a day, drank about 8 ounces of pure unsweetened cranberry juice three times a day for 12 months, or were given a placebo.
• In a third study, older adults who ate cranberry products were about half as likely to have bacteria and white blood cells in their urine in the setting of no UTI symptoms -- a sign of urinary tract infections. But other studies in older people showed no difference in symptomatic UTI in people using cranberry and those who didn’t.