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Blueberries Can Also Treat Urinary Tract Infections

http://www.mercola.com/2005/mar/5/blueberries_uti.htm

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common among women: More than half

of all women experience at least one UTI in their lifetime. And while there is

no truly definitive reason why some women get UTIs and why the recurrence of

the infection accumulates in the same women, researchers sought out to

determine tools in which UTIs could be prevented.

Typically bacteria in the stool trigger UTIs. Fortunately simple

dietary changes have the ability to have profound influences on the bacterial

flora

in your intestine and thus radically influence your risk of future UTIs.

Determining Preventative Dietary Factors

In order to conclude whether or not dietary factors play a protective

role against UTIs, researchers conducted a study in women to evaluate certain

dietary factors. The study focused particularly on the intake of fruit and

berries and milk products, factors influencing energy consumption and previously

established UTI risk factors.

In the study, nearly 140 women with a diagnosis of an acute UTI were

compared with 185 age-matched women who did not experience any UTI occurrences

within the past five years. Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire

based on dietary and other lifestyle habits during the past month, such as

estimating:

a.. The amounts of milk products consumed (milk, yogurt, cheese,

etc.)

b.. The amounts of fruits and berries consumed (both fresh and

prepared)

c.. The frequency of consumption for both milk and fruit and berry

products

Findings

The data from the study revealed that eating more fresh fruit and

drinking more berry juice was linked to a lower risk of UTI recurrence. This is

because most berries are rich in flavonols (a potent inhibitor of the adhesion

of

E. coli type bacteria to human cells). In general the flavonol content in

berries is high, which may explain why they help reduce recurrence of

infections.

The researchers also learned that the consumption of fermented milk

products containing probiotics was linked with a low incidence of UTI

recurrence.

The protective effect of milk products is most likely related more to the

probiotics in the products, rather than the milk itself.

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition March, 2003;77(3):600-604 Free

Full-Text Article

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Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Most people are aware that cranberries are well documented to treat

urinary tract infections. The only caution, however, is that the diluted

processed cranberry juice available in most commercial grocery stores is not

your best

bet to treat the infections. Instead, whole fresh cranberries, the raw juice

in health food stores, or capsules of cranberry extract are far better

options.

Berries--Protecting You From UTIs

It has recently come to my attention that blueberries also have

compounds similar to those of cranberries and can also be used to treat UTIs.

Epicatechin is a bioflavanoid found both in cranberries and

blueberries. It is believed to inhibit the attachment of the bacteria to the

lining of

the bladder thus causing the bacteria to be eliminated in the urine rather than

attaching to the bladder wall, multiplying and causing an infection.

I have not seen any study directly comparing the two fruits, but it

seems reasonable to conclude that it might be helpful to add blueberries to your

diet if you suffer from frequent UTIs. (If it doesn't work for the UTI at

least you can be comforted by the fact that you are reliably reducing the aging

of

your brain.)

This is not the season for blueberries so if you are interested in

using them for this purpose you can either purchase frozen organic blueberries

in

your local health food store or for your convenience we offer wild organic

blueberries in our store. Also, for your convenience, we carry delicious Wild

Blueberry IQ Softgel Capsules that are made from whole fresh blueberries--and

contain 40 mg of potent disease-fighting anthocyanins per capsule, more than any

other available supplement!

Additional Tools to Treat or Prevent UTIs

a.. Fermented Milk Products: It was interesting to read in the study

that the frequent use of fermented milk products containing probiotics was

associated with a low incidence of UTI recurrence, whereas no such association

was found for fresh milk products. Without question fermented raw milk would be

superior and the use of kefir to ferment the raw milk would greatly enhance

its effect.

b.. D-mannose: A natural treatment you can consider is the use of a

simple non-insulin raising sugar called d-mannose. It can be purchased as a

powder in many health food stores and one-quarter teaspoon can be used once a

day

to prevent infections, or it can be used more frequently to aid in the

treatment of an active infection. D-mannose is what is believed to be the active

ingredient in cranberries that treats UTIs. It treats the infections by making

the

lining of the bladder very slippery so the E. coli bacteria cannot attach to

the bladder and multiply.

Related Articles:

Antibiotics Useless Treatment For Some UTIs

Diet Help for Urinary Tract Infections

Cranberry Juice for Urinary Tract Infections

Doctors Choose Expensive Drugs for Urinary Infections

Looking at the Color Of Your Urine Can Diagnose an Infection or If

You're Dehydrated