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Reduce the Number of Urinary Tract Infections By Drinking More Water?

The following study was presented at the recent annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. A study of women prone to recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) found that increasing daily fluid intake by 1.5 liters of water a day (about three 16-ounce glasses) in addition to their usual daily fluid intake - had a reduced incidence of UTIs that year by 48%, as compared to women who drank their usual daily fluid amount (1.2 liters).

So the women who drank about 2.8 liters (water and other beverages) a day had 1.6 UTIs that year on average, and the women who drank their usual fluid amount had 3.1 UTIs on average. Which also resulted in fewer courses of antibiotics in the increased water group. A great result.

Bottom line: Drinking a lot more fluids daily (to flush the bacteria in the bladder and urinary tract) may benefit those with recurrent UTIs. [See more posts on UTI research, and the one treatment that many swear by as truly effective (D-mannose)]. From Futurity:

Women who get frequent UTIs may reduce risk by drinking plenty of water

Drinking an additional three pints of water a day may keep the urinary tract infection (UTI) away - at least for women who are prone - suggests a study being presented at IDWeek [Infectious Diseases Society of America Week] 2017. The study found women at risk of UTIs who increased their water intake by about that much water every day were nearly half as likely to get UTIs as women who did not.

Women are more likely to get UTIs than men in part because the urethra is shorter, meaning it is easier for bacteria to travel from the rectum and vagina to the bladder. Drinking more fluids increases the rate of flushing of bacteria from the bladder and also likely reduces the concentration of bacteria that enter the bladder from the vagina. This reduces the opportunities for bacteria to attach to cells that line the urinary tract, which is necessary to cause an infection, Dr. Hooton said.

The study included 140 healthy premenopausal women who had at least three UTIs in the last year and reported low daily fluid intake. Half of the women (70) who served as the control group continued their usual daily fluid intake, while the remainder were told to drink 1.5 liters of water a day (about three 16-ounce glasses) in addition to their usual daily fluid intake. After one year, women in the control group had 3.1 UTIs on average, whereas those in the water group had 1.6 UTIs on average, a 48 percent reduction. As a result, the water group averaged fewer regimens of antibiotics (1.8) than the limited-water group (3.5), a reduction of 47 percent.

Researchers followed the women throughout the year using visits and telephone calls. They documented that over the course of the study, on average women in the water group increased their daily water intake by 1.15 liters (about 2-1/2 pints) for a total daily fluid intake (including water and other beverages) of 2.8 liters, whereas women in the control group did not increase the amount of water they drank and had a total daily fluid intake of 1.2 liters.

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