Cranberry juice capsules cut UTI risk after gynecological surgery

(HealthDay)—Cranberry juice capsules reduce the rate of urinary tract infection (UTI) in women undergoing elective benign gynecological surgery involving urinary catheterization, according to a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Betsy Foxman, Ph.D., from the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor, and colleagues conducted a first randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the therapeutic efficacy of cranberry juice capsules for preventing UTI after elective gynecological surgery during which a catheter is placed. One hundred sixty eligible patients were randomly allocated to receive two cranberry juice capsules twice a day or matching placebo for six weeks after surgery.

The researchers found that the occurrence of UTI was significantly lower in the cranberry versus placebo group (19 versus 38 percent; odds ratio, 0.38; P = 0.008). The protective effects of cranberry persisted after adjustment for known confounders, including the frequency of intermittent self-catheterization in the postoperative period (odds ratio, 0.42). No treatment differences were seen in the incidence of adverse events, including gastrointestinal upset (56 percent for cranberry versus 61 percent for placebo).

"Among women undergoing elective benign gynecological surgery involving urinary catheterization, the use of cranberry extract capsules during the postoperative period reduced the rate of UTI by half," the authors write.

Theralogix provided the cranberry juice capsules and matching placebo for the study.