While cranberries help fight infection definitely, we must be clear about thing. Cranberries are never usually considered to be the cure. In order to cure a case of UTI, it is always advisable to have the patient visit the doctor, get an accurate diagnosis, and then follow whatever course of action the doctor suggests. Consuming cranberries is always taken as a preventive approach. If you consume cranberries daily, there is very little chance that you will contract UTI.

Cranberries to Prevent UTI – What is the Right Amount to Drink?

As with everything else, it is always best to have the right amount of cranberries (juice or otherwise). This is the reason there is a scientifically measured quantity that you are supposed to take on a daily basis to keep the chances of you contracting UTI as close to zero as possible.

The right dosage of cranberries to consume on a daily basis is two servings of the juice or cocktail, or the equivalent amount in the raw fruit form. This dosage has been found to work well on women. This number is not something that is suggested just off the cuff; there is scientific reasoning behind this. Studies have shown that one serving of cranberries begins to take effect in about two hours since the person consumed them. The effect usually lasts for a maximum of 10 hours. It is this 10-hour separation period that has led researchers as well as physicians to suggest the twice a day dosage, as far as cranberries are concerned.

The Contribution of Cranberries to Healthcare

Over the years, as more and more studies are done on cranberries, the actual nutritional potential of the native American berry, along with the potential implications for the healthcare industry as well as the healthcare product industry has slowly sunk in. The end result? Cranberries are being promoted in a big way.

The fact that cranberries are basically the source for fantastic amounts of nutrition made the Agriculture Secretary declare the month of October 2002 as the National Cranberry Month. There is more to cranberries too. A recent study has shown that cranberries help prevent the E.coli bacteria, which also causes UTI, from proliferating in the urinary tract as well. What is new about this study is the fact that the E.coli strain in question is not the standard strain. The strain in question is one that has been found to be resistant to even antibiotics. This is indeed a major breakthrough, because until this study, this antibiotic-resistant strain seemed unstoppable.