Women who would like to avoid getting urinary tract infections often should drink more water, as the longtime belief was confirmed by a new study.
There are several factors that may contribute to urinary tract infections, including stress, unhygienic practices, unbreathable undergarments, and having sex while with UTI. Apparently, an easy solution to avoiding the infection in the first place is by simply drinking more water.
Avoid UTI By Drinking More Water
A study that was published in the JAMA Internal Medicine journal revealed that increasing daily water intake reduces the chances of recurring cases of urinary tract infections among women.
At least half of all women are at risk of contracting UTI within their life, and once they get infected, about 25 percent will see a recurring case within six months, and up to 75 percent will see another within one year.
Women who added 1.5 liters of water daily to their regular consumption over a period of 12 months, however, were 50 percent less likely to suffer another case of UTI, compared to women who kept their drinking water intake at their regular levels, according to the new study.
The reduction was attributed to the increase in urine volume and more frequent urination, which regularly flushed out any bacteria accumulating in the bladder.
According to the authors, this is the first time that a randomized clinical trial was conducted to study the common recommendation of drinking more water to help prevent UTI.
Does Cranberry Juice Help UTI?
There is also a piece of general knowledge that cranberry juice helps fight off a urinary tract infection, but new draft rules from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence earlier this year revealed that the beverage does not help at all.
Contrary to previous reports that claim drinking cranberry juice helps against UTI, NICE said that there is not enough evidence to prove it. Instead, NICE recommends for people to drink water instead.
However, women should be careful not to pull themselves into the other end of the extremes. A 59-year-old patient featured in BMJ Case Reports a couple of years ago was hospitalized with water intoxication, after drinking too much water following the discovery of UTI symptoms.
