Everyone has heard of a UTI or urinary tract infection, but what even is a urinary tract and how does an infection form?
The urinary tract is the body’s drainage system for removing urine and is made up of the kidneys uterus, bladder, and urethra¹.
So what causes the infection and where does it start?
UTIs are caused by a wide range of pathogens (bacteria) with the most common being Escherichia coli, more commonly known as E.coli.
A UTI typically starts with bacteria contaminating the tissue surrounding the urethra — from the gut. The contamination begins to colonise in the urethra and subsequently migrates to the bladder, thus compromising it and causing an infection².
So what can I do to prevent UTIs?
· Drink plenty of water — it helps dilute your urine and forces you to urinate more frequently — helping flush bacteria.
· Wipe from front to back — this will help prevent bacteria from the anal region from spreading to the vagina and urethra.
· Empty your bladder immediately after intercourse — this will help flush any bacteria that entered during intercourse.
Do cranberries really work, or should I stick with antibiotics?
First and foremost, if you have any concerns, we recommend you speak to your health professional. There is a place for both cranberries and antibiotics and a medical professional should help you determine what is best suited for your circumstances.
Now, let us explain the difference between antibiotics and cranberries.
Antibiotics work by killing bacteria therefore eradicating the UTI from your body³. The problem with that is sometimes not all of the bacteria is killed, therefore leaving survivors who learn how to resist, or fight, the antibiotic. Once the bacteria learns how to fight the antibiotic, your body can become resistant to it. Antibiotic resistance can be extremely harmful in future circumstances.
Cranberries work by deactivating [or disabling] bacteria — not killing it⁴. Your body therefore treats it as a toxin and flushes it out of the body. This process does not allow the bacteria to learn to fight it, and therefore you cannot become resistant to it. Cranberries are seen as a preventative measure as opposed to a cure — this is because by deactivating the bacteria, the cranberry does not allow the bacteria to adhere to the bladder lining. Keeping on top of your cranberry intake has been studied to keep the bacteria flush from your body.
CRANEL is loaded with 3,000 cranberries — more than the recommended amount to keep your body flush!
