Despite the common belief that cranberry juice or pills can prevent, or even cure, a urinary tract infection, science has determined that it actually had no effect. Some people believe that cranberries can make the urine more acidic, killing the e. coli bacteria that cause UTI’s, and while cranberries do lower the urine’s pH, they don’t do so greatly enough, nor for long enough, for bacteria to die. There was also a theory that cranberry could prevent bacteria from adhering to the bladder or kidney walls, and while this was shown to be true in lab settings, it was never successfully replicated in vivo. Probably the reason our pee burns a little less after chugging some cranberry juice is a combination of our bodies naturally fighting infection, and the ever amazing placebo effect.Â
