Foods to prevent urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are among the most common bacterial infections. Here are some foods that can help treat and prevent UTIs:

• UTIs are characterized by a frequent urge to urinate and a painful burning sensation during urination.
• Symptoms may also include mild fever, back pain, abdominal cramps and blood in the urine.
• The infection typically affects the bladder or the urethra, the tube that carries urine away from the bladder out of the body.
• Because of a shorter urethra (which makes it easier for bacteria to migrate up to the bladder), women are far more likely to suffer from a UTI than men.
• UTIs often recur; if an infection is left untreated, it can lead to a serious kidney infection.

• UTIs are caused by bacteria that migrate into the urethra.
• Urine is usually free of germs, but bacteria from the genital area or rectal area may travel into the urinary tract through the urethra and, most commonly, up to the bladder, where they attach to the bladder lining, multiply and cause an infection.
• Ignoring the urge to urinate increases the risk for a UTI.
• Other causes include not drinking enough fluids, improper hygiene (wiping should be front to back), pregnancy and sexual activity.

• Because a UTI may rapidly progress into a dangerous infection, it is best to immediately consult a physician if you are suffering from the condition.
• To improve urine flow during an infection, drink at least one 250 millilitre (eight ounce) glass of water each hour to wash harmful germs out of the urinary tract.
• Regularly consuming plenty of water may help prevent infectious bacteria from taking hold in the urinary tract in the first place.
• Folk healers often recommend parsley to help flush out a UTI.
• Compounds in parsley, such as myristicin and apide, may act as diuretics, increasing urine flow.
• Conventional science has begun to confirm the traditional folk wisdom for preventing urinary tract infections — drinking cranberry juice.
• A clinical trial of 153 elderly women found that women who drank 300 millilitres (10 ounces) of low-calorie cranberry juice each day had 50 percent fewer bacteria in their urine.
• The cranberry drinkers were also 25 percent less likely to have infected urine from month to month.
• Researchers have isolated tannin compounds in cranberry juice and have found that these substances may be highly protective against UTIs.
• It's thought that the tannin compounds may combat UTIs by preventing bacteria from attaching to the bladder and kidney walls, multiplying unrestrained and causing an infection.
• The bacteria are instead flushed out in the urine.
• Cranberries are also thought to acidify urine, making the urinary tract a less hospitable environment for harmful bacteria to thrive.
• Vitamin C (in addition to fortifying the body's immune defenses) may also acidify urine, making it more difficult for infectious bacteria to colonize.
• If infectious bacteria in the genital area are allowed to multiply unrestrained, they may travel from the genitals into the urethra, causing a UTI.
• Consuming probiotics (beneficial bacteria) can be helpful, since this promotes the growth of healthy bacteria in the body.
• These bacteria crowd out harmful microbes and may even secrete anti-infective substances.
• Our bodies house over 400 species of healthful bacteria, which feed on nondigestible carbohydrates, such as fructooligosaccharides (FOS). Consuming FOS (in onions and artichokes, for example) may help friendly flora to flourish.
• Like cranberry juice, blueberry juice may wash harmful bacteria out of the urinary tract, because blueberries have protective tannin compounds similar to those found in cranberries.

• Yogurt
• Blueberries
• Cranberries
• Other berries
• Broccoli
• Citrus fruits
• Peppers

There you have it -- a few simple ways to incorporate certain foods into your diet to help prevent and treat urinary tract infections. As always, if you think you might have a UTI, consult a doctor.