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NEW
YORK (Reuters Health), 2003-03-07
Investigators based in Finland discovered that women who
regularly drink fresh juices and eat yogurt and cheese
may be less likely than others to develop
urinary tract infections (UTI).
The authors found that women who drank at least one daily glass of fresh juice
-- either freshly squeezed or from concentrate, with no additional sweeteners
-- were 34% less likely to have experienced a recent UTI.
Women appeared especially protected from UTIs if they drank juices made from
berries, the report notes.
Women who reported eating milk products that contain helpful microbes known
as probiotic bacteria -- such as yogurt and cheese -- at least three times
each week were almost 80% less likely to have recently developed a UTI than
women who ate similar foods less than once per week.
These findings may help explain why some women often develop UTIs, while others
do not, the authors note.
"Dietary habits seem to be an important risk factor
for UTI recurrence in fertile women, and dietary guidance
could be a first step toward prevention," Tero
Kontiokari of the University of Oulu in Finland and
colleagues write.
Kontiokari and colleagues base their findings on surveys of the eating habits
of 139 women who had developed a UTI within two weeks prior, and 185 women
who had not experienced UTIs within the past five years. Study participants'
average age was 30.
Reporting in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the authors found
that women who had not suffered a recent UTI reported higher consumption of
fresh fruit juices and milk products containing probiotic bacteria.
In terms of why certain food and drink may ward off UTIs, Kontiokari and colleagues
note that UTIs can be caused by bacteria that migrate from the stool. Foods
that modify the stool's bacterial content may therefore influence the risk
of UTIs, they write.
Popular in Europe and increasingly in the US, probiotics
are foods that contain living cultures of "good" bacteria.
People have ascribed many benefits to eating or drinking
these foods, including the ability to prevent urinary
tract infections.
Previous research has also shown that drinking cranberry juice helps ward off
repeat episodes of UTIs, the researchers note.
Plants contain certain antioxidants that may help protect them against bacterial
infections; these substances may also shield people who eat certain fruits
and vegetables from infection as well, Kontiokari and colleagues write.
SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition 2003;77:600-604.
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