As you get older, you're more prone to urinary tract infections
because the entire genital area becomes more fragile after
menopause and more susceptible to infections. The best way to
fight these infections is with good hygiene. To put it
delicately, that means always wipe from front to back in order
to avoid getting E. coli (the most common source of infection)
into your urinary system. But an old folk remedy can help as
well, according to a growing body of research. A study in the
current issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine has found
that drinking cranberry juice or taking cranberry tablets can
help ward off urinary tract infections. The study looked at data
from 10 studies that compared consumers who used cranberry
products with those who did not and found that there appeared to
be a protective effect among those who used these products.
Other studies have tried to understand the mechanism of this and
suggest that chemicals in cranberries prevent E. coli from
sticking to the bladder. Instead, the g