Alexandra Grablewski/DigitalVision/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — A study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association refutes the long-held theory that cranberry capsules can cure urinary tract infecctions in nursing home residents.
The study is the latest data point in decades of conflicting evidence as to the efficacy of the “cranberry cure.” While some studies indicated that there was a benefit to using cranberry capsules as a preventative measure, the science remained weak.
Bacteria plus pyuria, the researchers note, is common in older women living in nursing homes. However, when they performed their study, using 185 women over the age of 65, they found no significant difference in the presence of bacteria.
Researchers say 147 women completed the one-year study, but the difference in incidence of urinary tract infection was small — 10 UTIs in the group receiving cranberry capsules, as compared to 12 in the group receiving a placebo.
Urinary tract infections lead to approximately nine million doctor visits each year, and over one million hospitalizations, mostly involving women.
An editorial also published in the Journal of the American Medical Association said that while further research can be done to find more effective preventative measures, “it is time to move on from cranberries.”
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