While cranberries and its juice are often recommended as a natural cure for urinary tract infections (UTI), a new study suggests differently. Researchers carried out a study in a nursing home and discovered that efforts to use cranberries to avert infections were futile.

According to CNN, nursing home live-ins who took cranberry capsules did not have less UTIs compared to those who consumed a placebo capsule. The lead author of the study Dr. Tanisha Juthani-Mehta said that the deeply rooted belief that cranberries could cure UTIs is a myth.

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The findings were published in the American Medical Association journal. Dr. Mehta, an Associate Prof. at the Yale University School of Medicine, noted that those who enjoy consuming cranberry products should continue to do so. However, spending on cranberry capsules to prevent UTIs is not worthwhile, she said.

While UTIs affect both men and women as they age, it occurs when bacteria infects the urine tract. Symptoms such as pain or a burning sensation while urinating and the frequent need to urinate despite an empty bladder are common. The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention suggests the body is capable of flushing out an infection. However, the condition becomes serious if it affects the kidneys.

Due to the acidity of cranberry juice, previous studies believed it could change the PH balance of the bladder enabling it to keep infections at bay. Previous studies have quoted a report published in the 1920s suggesting that prunes and cranberries could affect the acidity of urine.

Conflicting views have been reported throughout the ages that cranberry capsules are capable of preventing infections. The US journal report pointed out that a review in 2012 of more than 20 studies with more than 4,000 participants found little evidence to prove that cranberry has the potential to prevent UTIs.

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