What Happens If You Drink Cranberry Juice When You Have a UTI?

Cranberries contain proanthocyanidins (PACS), natural compounds that may help prevent urinary tract infections (UTIs) in some women, pregnant people, and older adults.

However, cranberries don’t treat UTIs, and chugging cranberry juice while you have UTI symptoms might do more harm than good.

Should You Drink Cranberry Juice While You Have a UTI?

Just like having chicken noodle soup to heal from a cold, many people associate cranberry juice with UTI recovery. 

Some research suggests that proanthocyanidins in cranberries help prevent E.coli bacteria from attaching to the bladder wall, which can lead to UTIs. But that doesn’t mean cranberry juice will cure your existing UTI.

“Sometimes the juice itself could actually be counterproductive. A lot of people don’t realize that the juice is very acidic,” said Lamia Gabal, MD, FPMRS, a urologist at Providence St. Joseph Hospital and founder of Prestige Medical Group in Tustin, California.

Acidic cranberry juice can irritate the bladder and worsen UTI symptoms. When you have an active UTI, Gabal said, it’s more about flushing out the bacteria with water and other less bladder-irritating fluids.

Does Cranberry Juice Help Prevent UTIs?

Many people who have a UTI experience a second UTI less than six months later. Some evidence suggests that drinking cranberry juice daily may help prevent these recurrent UTIs.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows the claim that “limited and inconsistent” scientific evidence supports drinking a daily 8-ounce glass of cranberry juice to prevent recurrent UTIs in healthy women.

Experts also caution against drinking this much cranberry juice. “You have to be careful with the amounts, not just because of the bladder irritant component, but there tends to be a lot of sugar in cranberry juice, which can also be counterproductive for some people,” Gabal said.

Added Sugars May Actually Increase Your Risk

Many cranberry juices are cranberry-flavored, not 100% cranberry juice, and contain a lot of added sugars.

“There is some concern that drinking juice could actually increase sugar content, which would not be beneficial in a patient who has type 2 diabetes. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes is a risk factor for UTI,” Lopa Pandya, MD, MS, FACOG, a urogynecologist and an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine, told Verywell in an email.

It’s important to practice other UTI preventative strategies: drink plenty of water, urinate before and after sex, wipe front to back, and change out of wet clothes promptly.

What About Cranberry Extract?

People who are prone to UTIs could take concentrated cranberry extract tablets regularly, according to Mark Ellerkmann, MD, a urogynecologist and director of The Urogynecology Center at Mercy in Baltimore.

The FDA allows cranberry supplements to claim that “limited scientific evidence” shows that 500 mg of cranberry dietary supplements helps lower recurrent UTI risk in healthy women.

These tablets won’t treat an existing UTI. It’s best to talk to your healthcare provider about antibiotic treatments if you have an infection.

“Usually, by the time you’re symptomatic with dysuria, otherwise known as pain with urination, or worsening frequency and urgency, then you really need an antibiotic,” said Ellerkmann. “Cranberry proanthocyanidins aren’t going to kill bacteria. They can help prevent UTIs and maybe help you get rid of it slowly, but they’re not antibiotics.”