Cranberry Extract for Symptoms of Acute, Uncomplicated Urinary Tract Infection: A Systematic Review

This article is a systematic review which aimed to study cranberry extract as an alternative to antibiotics for alleviating the symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Three randomized controlled trials consisting of 688 participants were included. The studies were all conducted in the outpatient setting. Study risk of bias assessments were made using Cochrane criteria. The current evidence for or against cranberry extract to help manage the symptoms of acute, uncomplicated UTIs is inadequate. The research has not shown cranberry juice to improve symptoms such as frequency, feeling unwell or duration of symptoms and were found to be worse as compared to participants encouraged to consume water. Cranberry juice did not reduce the need for antibiotics, when compared to drinking water. No harms were found to be associated with cranberry consumption. This research is limited since it only included three articles. Further research is needed.