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A new study's findings suggest that this popular remedy could be a good way to prevent repeats of painful urinary tract infections and reduce the need for antibiotics, which are often required to clear up the infection.
In the US alone, 11 million women each year are given antibiotics for urinary tract infections (UTI). UTI symptoms include:
- frequent urges to urinate
- a painful, burning sensation during urination
In the new study, Finnish women who were at risk for repeated UTIs who drank a mixture of cranberry and lingonberry juice daily for six months were 20% less likely to get a UTI compared with women who drank a lactobaccillus drink or nothing in particular.
The study notes that as many as 60% of women contract a urinary tract infection at some point in their life. At least a third of women with a urinary tract infection will experience a recurrence during the following year, with women between the ages of 25 and 29 or those over the age of 55 years most likely to have recurrent infections, the study indicates.
British Medical Journal June 30, 2001:322;1571-1573
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