UTI sufferers can have better symptoms and reduced irritation in their bladder if they eat apples, especially if they do that on a regular basis.
They can also have a higher chance of treating their UTIs in a better and healthier way because of the many health benefits that apples can provide for the urinary system, immune system and body in general.
In the previous article ‘Are apples good for UTI?‘ we talked about how good apples can be for UTI sufferers and we also explained why is that the case. Here we will elaborate even further as we will talk about the benefits that apples can provide for UTI sufferers.
UTIs can increase oxidative damage in the urinary tract and eating apples help prevent that
The UTI bacteria can produce toxins inside the bladder or any other part of the urinary tract and these toxins can turn our cells into cancerous cells or at least inflammatory or dysfunctional cells.
If anyone who has UTI let that happen severely enough or long enough, they would be risking the possibility of their UTI turning into something worse, like a kidney infection, or the possibility of receiving permanent damage in the urinary tract, which can cause them to struggle always with conditions like recurrent UTIs or inflammatory bladder (interstitial cystitis).
The UTI bacteria will have a better chance of spreading more and causing even further damage to the bladder and the rest of your urinary system if you have higher oxidative stress in your urinary tract or body in general.
An increased rate of oxidation in our bodies can cause various kinds of diseases in our body ranging from diseases of inflammatory origin, like ulcerative colitis, to infections, like UTI, to cancer, and it’s the antioxidant activities in our body that can prevent that from happening.
The more we eat foods rich in antioxidant compounds, like apples, the more we can lower the probability of diseases and infections, like the UTI, from ever happening to us and the easier it will be to cure them without repercussions when they do happen.
It turns out that apples are one of the richest sources of antioxidant compounds in all diets and one of the biggest contributors to the protective antioxidant activities in our bodies.
Our bodies generally have protective antioxidant activities on their own to prevent cancer and many other diseases, like the UTI. The more apples you eat on a regular basis, the more you can support and strengthen these beneficial activities or functions.
This study shows that because of the great antioxidant activities that fresh apples have, eating them on a regular basis was associated with a reduced risk of colon cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, ulcerative colitis (which is a major risk factor for UTI) and many other kinds of similar conditions.
By the way, oxidation will also increase inflammation in the body and vice versa, so the more oxidation you have in your bladder or urinary tract the more inflammation you will have there as well and thereby the more irritation and UTI symptoms you will be experiencing.
People who have UTI will suffer from less inflammation in their bladder and urinary tract if they eat fresh apples
UTIs, in many cases, are caused by inflammation or are worsened by inflammation and vice versa because the actual action of bacteria invading our urinary system and attaching themselves onto its walls can cause the bladder and the rest of our urinary system to be irritated and inflamed.
That inflammation caused by the actual UTI bacteria, for example, the E. coli bacteria, can also further irritate the urinary system and worsen the symptoms of UTI and generally cause the UTI to become worse.
An inflammatory environment where the immunity of the urinary tract is impaired (inflammation can weaken the immune system and causes it to function improperly) can be the perfect opportunity for the bacteria to spread out even more to other parts of the urinary tract possibly the kidneys and cause even more damage.
If people who have UTI count only on antibiotics to kill the bacteria and alleviate the inflammation and irritation in their urinary system, then they can also count on UTI or a similar kind of condition coming back to them one way or the other.
While if these people eat apples and other healthy foods full of anti-inflammatory constituents, they can lower the inflammation and the resultant irritation in their urinary tract, and thereby they can have better symptoms and a higher chance of surviving their UTI with minimum damage to their urinary system.
Studies show that apples have great anti-inflammatory properties, and that with these properties apples can strengthen and improve our immune system’s ability to kill bacteria and get rid of infections, like the urinary tract infection (UTI).
Apples contain a lot of vitamins, minerals, polyphenolic compounds and even triterpenes, and all of these compounds have been scientifically proven to possess great anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.
If you want to recover from UTI in the best way possible and have less irritation in your urinary tract and less UTI symptoms in general, you must opt to reduce inflammation in your urinary tract, and eating apples is one of the ways you can do that.
less bacteria will be able to reach your urinary system from the colon because apples can make you have better digestion and digestive system.
UTIs can be worsened, aggravated or even caused by issues in the colon or the large intestines because as you may know bacteria from the gut or intestines can travel into the bladder and cause UTI or further aggravate it.
Eating fresh apples on regular bases or even during the time when you have a UTI will strengthen the gut microbiome environment or the beneficial bacteria in your large intestines as these beneficial bacteria will feed on the fiber and the polyphenolic compounds found in fresh apples.
Our gut microflora can also use these fibers and compounds to make other compounds (byproducts) that will enhance our immunity and the health of our body in general and our large intestines.
Also, eating apples will reduce oxidation (oxidative stress) and inflammation in the colon because the vitamins and polyphenolic compounds found in apples can detoxify the colon from harmful molecules toxins.
You will have a lower chance of harmful bacteria invading your colon and traveling through it into the bladder and causing a UTI because of these healthy properties of apples.
This study shows how eating apples can protect us from getting colon cancer and ulcerative colitis.
UTI patients will have a better and stronger immune system if they eat apples
Apples can prevent two processes in your body that are extremely detrimental to the health of your immune system, which are oxidation and inflammation, or lower the rate at which they occur.
Your immune system needs the nutrients found in apples and in other kinds of healthy foods in order to function properly and to be able to kill bacteria and not cause or maintain unnecessary inflammation in the body.
Note: Inflammation is a natural part of our immune defense against diseases, infections and invading microorganisms (pathogens), but in many times it can cause harm to the body, especially if it lingers on for more than necessary or if it becomes stronger than necessary.
Actually, studies show that the vitamins, minerals, polyphenolic compounds and fibers found in apples can mitigate some of the damage done to our bodies and urinary system by eating highly inflammatory foods, like junk food.
You will be more susceptible to infections, like the UTI, or conditions like an inflamed bladder (interstitial cystitis) if you are a person who likes to eat junk foods, but apples with their high nutrient content can actually mitigate some of the damage done to your body by eating those unhealthy foods.
The previous studies also show that the polyphenolic compounds, vitamins and minerals found in apples can play a direct immune regulatory role, which means that they can directly strengthen and enhance the capability of your immune defenses to find bacteria and other pathogens and kill them with causing minimum amount of inflammation in the body.
This means that UTIs will be much easier to treat because your body’s immune defenses will take care of most of the job that it takes to get rid of the infection with causing as minimum damage to your body as possible.
So if your UTI is serious, with a better immune system, you won’t need to use a lot of antibiotics, and you won’t fear from the UTI turning into something worse, like a kidney infection.
And, in mild UTI cases, you might not even need the use of antibiotics at all (of course the doctor will decide on that) because if you have a better immune system due to eating healthy foods like apples, your UTI may resolve on its own using only some simple home remedies like drinking more fluids and wiping from front to back and so on.
Eating apples can restore hydration or rehydration in the body for UTI patients
UTIs thrive under dehydration and struggle with rehydration. The UTI bacteria will have an easier time sticking or adhering to the walls of your urinary bladder if you were dehydrated or semi-dehydrated.
While if you were properly hydrated, you will have a better chance of flushing the UTI-causing pathogens out of your urinary system and getting rid of the UTI.
Rehydration does not mean only drinking water without consuming nutrient-rich foods and drinks because then you will lose electrolytes from your body, and you will put the much-needed electrolyte balance of your body in danger.
Losing the electrolyte balance in your body will mean that you will have unstable blood pressure, and that can have a domino effect on your urinary system and immune system’s health as well, jeopardizing both of them. Adding a UTI on top is not a combination I want to have.
So, besides drinking water, UTI sufferers should also consume nutrient-rich foods, like fresh apples, or drink fresh apple juice without any extra sugar in order for their body to acquire those nutrients and maintain the electrolyte balance in the blood and kidneys and other tissues.
In this way, people who have UTI will make sure that they have provided their urinary system with the best conditions to kill or flush out the bacteria and get rid of the UTI.
One of the few things that will rehydrate and refresh your body more than eating fresh apples is drinking fresh apple juice. See our apple juice for UTI article for more information.
Your body will be in a much better shape after eating apple, which will reflect positively on your UTI
The aforementioned studies and a plethora of other studies have shown that consuming apples can have great positive effects on the health of the cardiovascular system and the lungs, and it can also have positive effects related to weight loss and diabetes.
Surprisingly enough, UTIs are one of the infections that can cause symptoms of mental fogginess and depression-related symptoms, especially if they progress to becoming kidney infections or if they happen with an elderly person.
In recent studies, it was discovered that consuming apples is associated with reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Although UTIs are not directly associated with these aforementioned health conditions, it can be argued that they can be influenced by them, although possibly not in a direct way but rather in indirect way
A healthier heart and a healthier cardiovascular system means a healthier blood supply to the kidneys and the bladder.
The better the blood supply to the urinary system the stronger and healthier it will be and the lower the likelihood for it to suffer from diseases and conditions, like UTI, kidney stones and other related conditions.
The healthier you are the stronger your immune system is the less inflammation and oxidative stress you will have in your body, and all of that can reflect positively on your urinary system and lower the risk of you acquiring diseases and infections, like the UTI.
Eating apples can definitely help you have a healthier mind and body and that was proven through thousands of studies and pieces of research (you can look them up on the internet), therefore eating apples can help you have a better urinary system and lower your UTI risk.