Effective Ways to Prevent Cystitis: Cranberry or Antibiotics?

An obsessive desire to urinate, burning, pain in lower abdomen ... recurrences, cystitis can really spoil your whole life. What is the best way to prevent cystitis, antibiotics or cranberry?

Many women on average suffer from 4 to 5 bouts of cystitis a year and are so frustrated that they do not know how to tackle this problem.

Cranberry is the best solution

Which woman does not recognize the characteristics and inconvenience of urinary tract infections? It is estimated that one in two women will be victims of this infection once in their lifetime. We must not underestimate the pain it causes, and the strong tendency to recur.

We must thus separate repetitive cystitis (less than 4 times per year) and recurrent cystitis (more than 3 times per year). Depending on its frequency, cystitis can really affect the quality of life. For these women, several measures can be beneficial such as adapting certain dietary measure like drinking 1.5l of water a day and taking more fiber to reduce constipation. Another beneficial thing to take into consideration is to wear loose clothing and to use cotton underwear rather than nylon.

Beyond these measures, cranberry juice is recommended to be taken with main meals. Cranberry juice taken regularly offers a good protection against bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Indeed, cranberry berries contain flavonoids, anthocyanins and proanthocyanidins, which are able to bind to Escherichia coli bacteria responsible for cystitis. These germs, when cranberry juice or cranberries are taken would then be unable to adhere to cells of the bladder and cause infection. But as regards to prevention, are cranberries as effective as antibiotics?

Antibiotic vs cranberry to deal with cystitis

Several studies have evidence that cranberries reduce the incidence of cystitis among women 30 to 40 years but beyond that, there was no evidence so far that this little red fruit keeps its virtues. For more information, a team studied its effectiveness compared to the preventive treatment with antibiotics, which was given in small doses for a long term.

In total, 137 women over 45 years, with at least 2 urinary tract infections in the previous year, took for over 6 months 500 mg of cranberry extract or 100 mg of triméthoprine, an antibiotic effective against the bacteria involved by these infections.

During the study, 39 women were victims of cystitis (25 in the cranberry group and 14 in the other group), with periods of recurrence substantially similar (respectively 84.5 and 91 days). Many women who were on the antibiotic treatment abandoned the study (11 against 6 in the cranberry group). In both groups the offending bacteria were mainly E. coli, and according to scientists the antibiotics have a very slight advantage in terms of effectiveness when compared to the cranberry extract, but have more side effects.

These results will enable women who are victims of cystitis to frequently assess together with their physician to choose between these two preventive alternatives. It should also be noted that in addition to its nature and its lower cost, the cranberry has the advantage of reducing the risk of the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Finally, the cranberry does not have annoying or dangerous side effects compared to the regular antibiotics, such as intestinal infections or vaginal fungal infections (thrush) or the rare but dreadful pseudo-membranous colitis caused by a the growth of a germ promoted by antibiotics, the Clostridium difficile.

Sources:

http://nutrition.about.com/od/dietsformedicaldisorders/f/cranberryjuice.htm