Cranberry Capsules and Juice for UTIs: Who the Evidence Supports

If urinary tract infections keep coming back, cranberry juice, tablets and capsules are an easy thing to try. They’re also sold in “urinary health” blends. Here is what the largest review of the evidence found, and the limits that matter.

What the review found

A 2023 Cochrane¹ review pooled 50 randomized trials with 8,857 people who took cranberry juice, tablets or capsules.¹

• Women with recurring UTIs: cranberry products lowered the risk of a symptomatic UTI. In this group, the risk was about a quarter lower than without cranberry.¹²
• Children, and people prone to UTIs after bladder procedures, also had fewer infections with cranberry.¹
• No clear benefit for older people living in care homes, pregnant women, or adults whose bladders don’t empty fully because of nerve or muscle problems.¹

The reviewers rated most of these findings as moderate certainty. Stomach pain was the most commonly reported side effect, and stomach side effects didn’t clearly differ from placebo.¹

What cranberry doesn’t do

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)² says cranberry isn’t recommended as a treatment for an existing UTI in any group.² If you have burning when you pee, frequent urges or cloudy or bloody urine, see a clinician for testing and treatment.³ Get care urgently for fever and chills, nausea, or pain in your back, side or groin, which can mean the infection has reached your kidneys.³

Before you buy

1. Check your medicines. NCCIH notes conflicting evidence on whether cranberry interacts with the blood thinner warfarin, and advises checking with your provider if you take it or other medicines.²
2. Read the label for sugar. Some cranberry juice drinks are sweetened. Capsules or tablets avoid the sugar.
3. Count the cost over months. Prevention means taking it regularly. Compare the price per month of capsules, tablets and juice.
4. Ask about other prevention options, especially if you’ve been through menopause. Your clinician can discuss what fits your history.

Try: “I’ve had three UTIs this year. Would cranberry capsules help me, and what else can we do to prevent them?”

Laugh, Sneeze, Jump includes an appointment prep sheet. Use it to list your infection dates, treatments and test results, so your clinician can see the pattern.