If you suffer from frequent bouts of urinary tract infections (UTIs), pack your trolley with yoghurt, cheese and fresh fruit juice.

A Finnish study has found that women who regularly consume these three foods are less likely to develop UTIs than women who don't adopt this simple dietary change.

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Researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland found that one glass of fresh juice a day, in squeezed or concentrate form, without added sweeteners, can reduce a woman's chance of developing a UTI by 34%.

The team studied the eating habits of 139 women who had contracted a UTI in the two weeks prior to the study and 185 women who had been UTI-free for five years. The average age of participants was 30.

Their results were recorded in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Berries are best
The research team, under the leadership of Dr Tero Kontiokari, found that fruit juices made form berries were especially good at protecting participants from bladder infections.

The study authors note that past studies have found cranberry juice as the winner when it comes to preventing repeat episodes of UTIs.

The antioxidants found in plants are thought to protect them against bacterial infections, so Kontiokari and his team hypothesised that if you eat certain fruit and vegetables, the same antioxidants in the plants will shield your body from infection as well.

Daily dairy
Weight conscious women often mistakenly stay away from dairy. But certain dairy products like yoghurt and cheese contain helpful microbes known as probiotic bacteria.

The study found that women who ate yoghurt and cheese three times or more a week, were 80% less likely to have recently suffered from a UTI than women who ate similar foods less than once a week.

Kontiokari's main conclusion was that women who had not recently suffered from a bladder infection, ate more diary products with probiotic bacteria and drank more fresh fruit juice.

Probiotics are becoming increasingly popular in Europe and the US because of their many benefits. Probiotics contain living cultures of "good" bacteria.

UTIs are often caused by bacteria in the stool that migrate to the urinary system. The study authors note that certain foods, like yoghurt, fruit juice and cheese may change the stool's bacterial content and in so doing will stop this migration of harmful bacteria to the bladder.

Dietary habits
Kontiokari's findings may help explain why certain women are prone to UTIs and others are not.

"Dietary habits seem to be an important risk factor for UTI recurrence in fertile women, and dietary guidance could be a first step toward prevention," write the study authors. - (Health24)

Read more:
Some bladder infections better treated by patient
Cranberry juice can fight urinary infections
 

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