In the news: Support for Urinary Tract Health

Cranberry May Help Women with Overactive Bladder

Cranberry is known for helping to reduce the risk of urinary tract infections (UTI). A review of studies published last year concluded that cranberry has a role to play in preventing recurring UTIs, especially in women over 45 who are more likely to get UTIs because of hormonal changes during and after menopause. (See Dec. 2019 Staying Healthy at www.sbh.com).

A new study(1) has found that cranberry can also help those who experience ‘dry’ overactive bladder, the condition that causes a person to have to urinate urgently and frequently but doesn’t cause incontinence. (For those with incontinence, the condition is referred to as ‘wet’ overactive bladder).

Researchers randomized women with symptoms of dry overactive bladder to receive 500 mg of dried cranberry powder or a placebo daily for a 6-month period.

Of the 60 women who finished the trial, those in the cranberry group experienced a 16% reduction in daily urination, a 57% reduction in daily urgency episodes compared to those symptoms at the study’s start. The participants taking cranberry also had a 40% decrease in how they perceived their bladder condition.

Compared with the placebo takers, the cranberry group urinated 1.91 fewer times daily and had 2.81 fewer daily urgency episodes.

According to the authors, the reduction in symptoms seen with cranberry compare favorably to the benefits reported for some prescription drugs (anti-muscarinics and beta-3 antagonists) used to treat overactive bladder. The researchers also called for larger and longer trials to confirm their findings.

It’s also important to know that while daily cranberry use may help prevent UTIs from recurring, cranberry is not effective in treating an active UTI which requires diagnosis and medication. So, don’t mistake UTI for overactive bladder.

The sudden and frequent urge to urinate is common in both overactive bladder and UTI, but the symptoms of the two conditions differ. UTI symptoms such as discomfort while urinating, are sudden while overactive bladder symptoms are ongoing.

Low Vitamin D Linked to Lower Urinary Tract Symptoms

A number of studies have linked insufficient levels of vitamin D in the body to lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), but the findings have been inconsistent. Researchers recently reviewed the studies to date to evaluate the LUTS and vitamin D relationship(2). LUTS symptoms include urinary urgency, frequency, incontinence, nocturia (waking up at night to urinate) and others. LUTS is fairly common in older men and women.

Including results from 23 studies with over 86,000 participants in the review and analysis, the investigators found that vitamin D deficiency raised the risk of LUTS two-fold. LUTS sufferers generally had lower vitamin D levels than those without the condition, suggesting that low vitamin D raises the risk for developing LUTS. Those who supplemented with vitamin D were also 11% less likely to have LUTS. the authors concluded that supplemental vitamin D shows promise in helping to alleviate LUTS symptoms.

Many tissues such as the prostate, the bladder wall, pelvic tissues and the urothelium (lining of lower urinary tract), are rich in vitamin D receptors. So, it’s not surprising that the vitamin could influence these tissues. It’s possible that vitamin D may be helping to quell chronic inflammation seen in benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and/or affecting smooth muscle in the bladder.

References

1. Cho A, et al. Efficacy of daily intake of dried cranberry 500 mg in women with overactive bladder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. J Urol. Epub ahead of print Sept. 18, 2020.
2. Yuan P, et al. Systematic review and meta-analysis of the association between vitamin D status and lower urinary tract symptoms. J Urol. Epub ahead of print Nov. 18, 2020.