Occasional or frequent, the cystitis profoundly alters women's daily lives, their emotional and sexual lives. For those who suffer from it, cranberry juice is often a reflex. Rich in antioxidants, this small, tangy red berry, from North America, was long debated until a global study published in Cochrane Reviews (November 2023), confirmed its effectiveness. Cranberry products halve risk of urinary tract infections “, confirms Professor François Desgrandchamps, head of the urology department at Saint-Louis hospital in Paris.
Cranberry Juice for Urinary Tract Infection: How Does It Work?
The active ingredients it contains, type A proanthocyanidins (or PAC A), prevent the Escherichia coli bacteria, responsible for urinary tract infections, from sticking to the walls of the bladder, a bit like a non-stick film, says Professor François Desgrandchamps, head of the urology department at Saint-Louis Hospital (Paris).
Unable to establish themselves permanently, pathogenic microorganisms only pass through the urine and are eliminated when you go to the toilet.
To understand the effects of cranberry juice and its variations on UTIs, Australian scientists from Flinders University and the Children's Hospital at Westmead reviewed 50 trials, including 26 new studies and nearly 9,000 participants. The aim was to compare the effectiveness of cranberry products (juice, tablets, powder) with a placebo, no treatment or another drug intervention (antibiotics, probiotics).
Result: Cranberry products dosed at 36 mg of PAC A per day reduce the risk of symptomatic urinary tract infection by a quarter in women having recurrent cystitis (2 or more cystitis in 6 months, or 3 in a year), more than half in children and vulnerable people (after an operation, radiotherapy of the bladder, etc.). On the other hand, no effectiveness in the elderly, patients with bladder emptying problems or pregnant women.
In video: what to do in case of repeated urinary tract infections?
Urinary tract infection: cranberry juice effective but not enough
While these products are useful in preventing future attacks, they do not treat proven cystitis. In this case, “the first-line treatment remains single dose antibioticssuch as Monuril, which pharmacists can dispense once the bacterial origin has been verified,” explains Professor Desgrandchamps.
Problem: taken repeatedly, antibiotics tend to 'stripping' and destroy the vaginal flora, which protects against cystitis. Pr Desgrandchamps, head of the urology department, Saint-Louis hospital (Paris)
Hence the interest of consult to treat the origin of the crisesfor example, lack of estrogen due to menopause or a microdose pill or constipation or diarrhea.
Cranberry: should you take it as juice or as a food supplement?
Even if studies have not shown superior efficacy between the different forms (juice, tablets, capsules or powder), Professor Desgrandchamps advises to do a six-month cranberry juice cure. Time for the bladder to regain all its capacities. According to him, the juice offers several advantages because “it encourages drinking and if it is consumed very fresh and on an empty stomach in the morning, it accelerates transit by a gastrocolic reflex. Which allows you to kill two birds with one stone.”
How much cranberry should I take?
“Knowing that it prevents bacteria from attaching to the walls of the bladder for 12 hours, we recommend a glass of 200 ml of juice morning and evening “. While commercially available juices do not mention the PAC dosage, a clinical study conducted in France and the United States estimates that a glass of beverage containing at least 27% cranberry juice contains between 27 and 37 mg of PAC. “Pure juices” contain four times more but their taste is more astringent.
Be careful if you are overweight or diabetic because of the high content of carbohydrates of certain drinks! A “low sugar” version or a food supplement will be more suitable.
Our selection of cranberry products
In juice
- The cheapest : Ocean Spray Cranberry. Composed of 27% cranberry concentrate. 1 glass of 100 ml contains between 11 and 15 mg of PACS. €2.15/l;
- Organic : Vitabio, pure cranberry juice from Quebec, from organic farming, without added sugars. €5.35 /50 cl.
As a dietary supplement
- Well dosed : Gyndelta, CCD laboratory. 90-day program. The right amount of PAC A, precisely dosed (BL-DMAC method). 1 capsule per day. Around €26.90 for a box of 90 capsules;
- Organic : Urisanol maintenance Bio, Pierre Fabre laboratory. A concentrated extract of Cranberry (36 mg of PACs) associated with a concentrated extract of dandelion, with diuretic properties. 1 capsule per day. €16 for 30 capsules.
Preventing urinary tract infections: 4 actions that make all the difference
- Stay hydrated (1.5 liters to 2 liters per day to obtain 5 to 6 urinations);
- Don't hold back from going to the toilet ; sit firmly on the toilet (even in public toilets) to empty your bladder completely. In the “no contact” position, the thighs are contracted and the perineum is closed;
- Rather than wiping from front to back as is commonly advised, it is better to gently “tap” the area;
- Doing your intimate hygiene with soft products.