Study shows cranberry extract effective in UTI prevention

BIRMINGHAM, England A study recently published in the Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy determined that supplementing with a cranberry extract was almost as effective as taking low-dose trimethoprim in preventing urinary tract infections in older women.

“Trimethoprim had a very limited advantage over cranberry extract in the prevention of recurrent UTIs in older women and had more adverse effects,” study authors determined. “Our findings will allow older women with recurrent UTIs to weigh up with their clinicians the inherent attractions of a cheap, natural product like cranberry extract whose use does not carry the risk of antimicrobial resistance or super-infection with Clostridium difficile or fungi.”