Cranberry products lowered the risk of a UTI by 30%. In women with repeat UTIs, the risk was 26% lower.
Williams 2023, Cochrane Database Syst Rev · Source
Urinary Tract Infection
What's actually happening when you have a UTI?
Most UTIs start when bacteria from the gut reach the urethra and grip the bladder wall. Here's how that happens, why UTIs come back, and what research shows about cranberry, D-mannose and the other ingredients in Momotaro Apotheca's formulas.
50%of women have at least one UTI
25%have another within six months of treatment
79%of first UTIs show E. coli on a standard urine test
What is a urinary tract infection, really?
Urine is usually free of harmful bacteria, and every time you pee it flushes out the few that drift in. A urinary tract infection (UTI) starts when bacteria, usually E. coli from the gut, travel up the urethra and hold on to the bladder lining instead of washing out.
E. coli holds on with tiny hair-like tips called fimbriae. One of them, FimH, grabs sugar molecules (mannose) on the cells that line the bladder. Once attached, the bacteria multiply, and some even slip inside the bladder cells, where they're harder to reach.
What are the symptoms of a UTI?
The CDC lists these signs of a bladder infection:
Pain or burning when you pee
The most common sign.
Needing to pee often
Often urgently, even when little comes out.
Pressure or cramping low in the belly
Or in the groin.
Blood in your urine
Urine may look pink, red or cloudy.
Get care the same day if you have fever, chills, pain in your back or side, or nausea. These can mean the infection has reached the kidneys.
Burning when you pee can also come from a yeast infection or irritated skin, so a urine test from your clinician is the way to know. Not sure which one it is? Try the symptom sorter.
Where do UTIs come from?
Most UTIs follow the same short route, which is one reason they're so much more common in women.
Gut→Skin around the vaginal opening→Urethra→Bladder→Kidneys (see a clinician fast)
A short urethra
In women the urethra is shorter and closer to the rectum, so bacteria have less distance to travel.
Sex and spermicide
Sex can push bacteria toward the urethra, and contraception with spermicide is a known risk factor.
Low vaginal estrogen
After menopause, lower estrogen means fewer protective lactobacilli and more room for gut bacteria near the urethra.
A UTI before
Having had one UTI makes another more likely.
Which bacteria cause UTIs?
One bacterium causes most UTIs, and the vaginal bacteria next door help decide how easily it gets a foothold.
The usual suspect
E. coli
Found in 79% of first UTIs on standard urine tests, in a study of nearly 149,000 people. Newer, more sensitive tests also find other bacteria, often alongside it, so its true share may be lower. Its fimbriae let it grip the bladder lining.
The others
Klebsiella, Staphylococcus saprophyticus, Enterococcus
A smaller share of UTIs, and a growing one when infections keep coming back. Klebsiella rose from 7% of first UTIs to 11% by the sixth.
The protectors
Lactobacillus
Vaginal lactobacilli help crowd out gut bacteria near the urethra. When they return, E. coli and its relatives tend to fade.
Why do UTIs keep coming back?
About half of women have at least one UTI. After antibiotics clear one, about 25% have another within six months, and 46% within a year. Antibiotics are the right treatment for an active UTI. These are the reasons researchers see for the repeats.
46%
of women have another UTI within a year of one being treated.
within 6 months 6 to 12 months no repeat
Bacteria can hide in the bladder wall
Some E. coli settle inside bladder cells, out of reach, and can restart an infection later.
The gut and vagina keep supplying them
When gut bacteria live around the vaginal opening, they have a short trip back to the urethra.
Low estrogen after menopause
In a trial of 93 women past menopause with repeat UTIs, vaginal estrogen cut UTIs from 5.9 to 0.5 a year. Lactobacilli came back in 61% of them.
That's where the research below comes in: ingredients that make it harder for E. coli to hold on, and probiotics that support the vaginal lactobacilli.
Which Momotaro Apotheca ingredients have been studied against UTI bacteria?
Human study tested in people Lab study tested in the lab
| Ingredient | Stops E. coli sticking | UTIs in women | Gut bacteria in the vagina |
|---|---|---|---|
| CranberryUrinary Tract Supplement | Human study | Human study | |
| D-MannoseUrinary Tract Supplement | Lab study | Human study | |
| Berberinein Oregon Grape | Lab study | ||
| Lactobacillus speciesin the Daily Probiotic | Human study | Human study |
What did the studies find?
Cranberry
After taking cranberry, people's urine kept E. coli from sticking. Urine collected after cranberry powder blocked bacterial attachment in the lab; urine after placebo didn't.
Howell 2010, BMC Infect Dis · Source
D-Mannose
Compared with placebo, D-mannose was linked to far fewer repeat UTIs. Pooled across the trials, the risk was 77% lower. The authors note the studies were few and small.
Lenger 2020, Am J Obstet Gynecol · Source
D-mannose works as a decoy, not an antibiotic. It didn't kill E. coli or interfere with antibiotics; it occupied the FimH tips that bacteria use to grip.
Scribano 2020, Molecules · Source
Berberine (in Oregon Grape)
Fewer E. coli stuck to bladder cells. Low doses of berberine, below what it takes to kill the bacteria, reduced attachment in three of four strains.
Petronio 2020, Molecules · Source
Lactobacillus species (Daily Probiotic)
These studies used other strains of the same species found in the Daily Probiotic, not our exact strains.
Yearly UTIs fell by about half, from 6.8 to 3.3, on oral L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri. A daily antibiotic did slightly better, but unlike the antibiotic, the probiotics didn't raise antibiotic resistance.
Beerepoot 2012, Arch Intern Med · Source
Fewer gut bacteria in the vagina. Women taking the same two species by mouth had fewer coliforms, the group that includes E. coli, at one, two and three months.
Reid 2003, FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol · Source
How can Momotaro Apotheca help?
Start with your clinician. An active UTI needs a urine test and usually antibiotics. Don't wait it out, especially with fever or back pain.
Then support your body every day. Our supplements are made for everyday urinary tract health and for the lactobacilli that help keep gut bacteria in check.
Urinary Tract & Pelvic Health Supplement
D-mannose, cranberry, Oregon grape, uva-ursi and marshmallow root, in one daily capsule routine.
See the SupplementDaily Probiotic
Ten strains, including L. rhamnosus and L. reuteri, the species studied for urinary and vaginal health.
See the Daily ProbioticCommon questions about UTIs
Is a UTI a sexually transmitted infection?
No. But sex can push bacteria toward the urethra, which is why UTIs often follow it.
Can cranberry treat a UTI I already have?
No. Cranberry has been studied for lowering the chance of UTIs, not for treating one. An active UTI needs a clinician.
Why do I get more UTIs after menopause?
Lower estrogen means fewer vaginal lactobacilli and more gut bacteria near the urethra. Vaginal estrogen from a clinician can help restore that balance.
Is burning when I pee always a UTI?
No. Yeast infections and irritated vulvar skin can sting when urine touches them. A urine test tells them apart.
Is it safe to take these ingredients?
Ask your clinician before adding a supplement, especially if you're pregnant or breastfeeding, have kidney problems, or take a blood thinner such as warfarin. Uva-ursi isn't advised in pregnancy, while breastfeeding or with kidney problems, and is traditionally used for no more than a week at a time. Lab results show what an ingredient does to bacteria in a dish. They don't show that a product treats UTIs, and our products haven't been tested as UTI treatments.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Momotaro Apotheca products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.
Sources
- CDC. About Urinary Tract Infections. cdc.gov/uti.
- Barber AE, Norton JP, Spivak AM, Mulvey MA. 2013. Clin Infect Dis 57(5):719.
- Ku JH et al. 2024. J Infect Dis.
- Price TK et al. 2016. J Clin Microbiol 54(5):1216.
- Raz R, Stamm WE. 1993. N Engl J Med 329(11):753.
- Williams G et al. 2023. Cochrane Database Syst Rev CD001321.
- Howell AB et al. 2010. BMC Infect Dis 10:94.
- Lenger SM et al. 2020. Am J Obstet Gynecol 223:265.e1.
- Scribano D et al. 2020. Molecules.
- Petronio Petronio G et al. 2020. Molecules 25(21):5010.
- Beerepoot MAJ et al. 2012. Arch Intern Med 172(9):704.
- Reid G et al. 2003. FEMS Immunol Med Microbiol.
- NCCIH. Cranberry. nccih.nih.gov/health/cranberry.
- EMA/HMPC. European Union herbal monograph on Arctostaphylos uva-ursi, folium. 2018.
Reviewed by the Momotaro Apotheca medical team, including OB-GYNs and naturopathic doctors. Educational information, not medical advice. All ingredient research