Many women with urinary tract infections use cranberry as a treatment. New research shows that consuming both cranberry product and cranberry-based juice can help prevent UTIs before they start.

According to a study that investigated the benefits of cranberry products and juices, cranberry supplementation and juice reduces the risk of UTIs by more than 25% in women, by more than 50% in children, and by 53% in UTI-susceptible people.

The cranberry products, including tablets and capsules that contain cranberries as well as cranberry juice, were promoted as a solution to the infection. However, a review of 24 studies in 2012 revealed that the cranberry product did not work.

Researchers analyzed 50 recent studies, which included nearly 9000 people, to determine the effectiveness of cranberry-based products.

UTIs can be very unpleasant and are common. About a third of women, and many older people and those with bladder problems or other conditions will get an infection.

Untreated UTIs can cause kidney infection, pain and other complications. Sepsis is a serious risk in severe cases. Prevention is the best way to reduce the risks.

Antibiotics are effective and quick in treating UTIs. Sometimes, a single antibiotic dose is enough to resolve the problem. UTIs can recur in some people.

Researchers began to investigate what part of cranberries helped Native Americans with bladder problems hundreds of years ago.

Researchers used a variety methods to determine the benefits of cranberry-based products. The majority of studies compared cranberry products to a placebo treatment or no UTI treatments and found that drinking cranberry juice or taking capsules reduced the number UTIs among women with recurrent UTIs, children and individuals who were susceptible to UTIs following medical treatments such as bladder radiotherapy.

The results also show that the majority of people did not experience any side effects, with stomach pain being the most common. Researchers also did not find enough information to determine if cranberry-based products were more or less effective than antibiotics or probiotics in preventing recurrent UTIs.

There is no benefit to elderly people, pregnant women or those with problems with bladder emptying.