Cranberry Juice and It's Benefits

Cranberry juice has many benefits and has long been known to be an effective relief for urinary tract infections in particular. Although this is sometimes rumoured to be an old wives tale, there is a valid reason why this particular juice has this almost medicinal effect. Cystitis is one of the most common urinary tract infections that occurs in women and this is caused by bacteria entering the urinary tract and bladder.

Cranberry Juice Removes Bacteria

When someone has a UTI, this causes bacteria to cling to the sides of the bladder - the bacteria that causes these infections is E Coli. The good thing about cranberry juice, and the reason why it helps, is that it has a substance in it that will stop the bacteria from clinging on and if the bacteria cannot do this then it will not be able to multiply so quickly, and subsequently this will stop the infection from increasing.

When you have a UTI it is advisable to drink as much cranberry as possible, as well as drinking a lot of water to flush out the infection. However, sometimes the infections can be too much for the juice to have a sufficient effect on and you will need to see your doctor to get some antibiotics prescribed. Antibiotics should clear up the infection pretty quickly.

If you suffer from recurrent UTIs and you have seen your doctor about this then it can be worth either drinking cranberry juice on a daily basis to keep the infections at bay, or else to take cranberry tablets. Tablets contain concentrated cranberry and can be taken as part of your daily vitamin regime.

When drinking cranberry juice though, it is worth being aware of how much sugar is contained in each serving of juice. The amount of sugar is high and can be more than a lot of other carbonated drinks that you might expect to contain more. For this reason it is worth considering drinking more of a low sugar or light juice so that you do not have an excessive sugar intake. Light or low sugar juice can contain about a third of the sugar than standard cranberry juices and of course cranberry capsules are even better.

If you want to make your own cranberry juice and you have a good cheap sauce of cranberries available to you then this can be a good option. In this way you can control the amount of sugar that you add to the juice and can even use calorie free sweeteners or those made from natural products to the juice.

Find out how to make your own cranberry juice plus get more information on the benefits at the cranberry juice website.