Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a disease that needs to be constantly monitored and treated.
I know that when you have a UTI, you are ready to try anything to feel relief so that pain and discomfort disappear. And if the symptoms are repeated more often, then it’s even more difficult.
In addition to antibiotics, which are a necessary part of the therapy, each patient is also looking for some natural preparations and juices that would ease the existing symptoms at least in a way.
You probably heard somewhere that a glass of pineapple juice can help with it.
Now, we will explain whether pineapple juice can be used for UTI, and what is the effect of pineapple juice on UTI?
Pineapple juice is a very refreshing drink that many people like to drink. And it’s benefits are many, so it would not be bad if you have it on the everyday menu.
First, we will describe and explain everything about pineapple.
The tropical or American pineapple (Ananas comosus) is the fruit that is most popular. The pineapple is available fresh, canned, and as pineapple juice. Pineapple juice is made by squeezing its flesh to extract the juice.
What are the ingredients of pineapple juice?
Pineapple is rich in many vitamins and minerals. At 85% this tropical fruit consists of water, and 15% – of monosaccharides (glucose, sucrose, fructose). A very important ingredient of pineapple is the enzyme bromelain, which dissolves proteins to amino acids.
Pineapple fruit is rich in microelements such as calcium, potassium, iodine, phosphorus, zinc, copper, magnesium, manganese, iron, folate, pantothenic acid.
It contains a large amount of vitamin C, then vitamin A, B1, B2, B6, B12, E, PP, beta-carotene. Pineapples also contain a large amount of fiber. The pH of the pineapple is acidic, which is 3.71.
Pineapple juice is rich in vitamin C. Without added ascorbic acid, it’s got 25 mg of vitamin C, which is a third of the daily recommended value for women (75 mg), and over 25 percent for men (90 mg).
Pineapple is a source of trace manganese, which is a very important cofactor in numerous enzymatic reactions important for creating energy.
Copper, which is one of the ingredients of pineapple, helps the body in the production of hemoglobin and prevents the formation of blood clots.
D-mannose is a simple sugar found naturally in pineapple juice.
Vitamin B, which is found in pineapple juice, is very important for metabolic functions in the body, such as the production of red blood cells.
How pineapple juice affects UTI?
Pineapple juice has many health benefits, strengthens the immune system, eliminates inflammation, improves growth and development, protects the heart.
It is very important to maintain muscle function, balance mood, speed up digestion. Pineapple juice has also proved to be effective in preventing cancer.
Pineapples juice has a very high content of water.
Water is very important for the normal function of the urinary tract because it removes all the harmful substances and keeps electrolytes and nutrients.
It also dilutes the urine and allows its cleansing of the blood, thereby removing the bacteria that cause the UTI.
The caloric value, taking the composition into account, is very low which is something good for UTI folks because low sugar levels mean a lower risk of UTI. For that reason, pineapples are suitable for slimming diets.
Numerous studies have shown that pineapple juice contains a large amount of vitamin C that is a powerful antioxidant, which strengthens the immune system and protects the surface of the organism from free radicals that attack and damage normal cells.
Moreover, canned varieties of pineapple juice are supplemented with vitamin C (ascorbic acid), in addition to vitamin C already present in this fruit.
This can kick-start your immune system and increase the production of white blood cells, which are the primary line of defense for the body.
In this way, they increase the defense of the body against bacteria that are the main cause of UTI.
Vitamin C reacts with urine nitrates forming nitric oxides that act destructively for bacteria.
Vitamin C reduces the pH of urine and prevents bacteria from surviving because bacteria cannot tolerate acidic urine.
More about that subject is in the urine pH article.
Vitamin C in large quantities can change the color of urine, but this is no problem.
Cortisol is a stress hormone that causes an increase in blood sugar. Vitamin C helps normalize this hormone and thus shows its indirect effect on UTI.
Acidic medium kills bacteria that cause UTI.
The pineapple does not contain fat, which has a beneficial effect on UTI.
Consuming fat is the sole reason for gaining weight and obesity. Especially dangerous is obesity where fat tissue accumulates in the abdomen and abdominal organs.
It creates resistance to the effect of insulin, and the consequence of this is insulin excessive secretion because the organism is trying to compensate for the problem in this way.
After a prolonged time of this kind of forced insulin secretion, in the end, exhaustion of insulin supplies and the development of diabetes develops. Increasing blood sugar levels also increases the number of bacteria that aggravate UTI.
Studies have shown that high potassium intake can help reduce water retention by increasing urine production and reducing sodium levels. This has a beneficial effect on UTI.
Pineapple juice contains a higher amount of potassium compared to sodium, in which it has very little amounts. It shows its advantages in the UTI.
Potassium can help prevent kidney stones.
A kidney stone is the accumulation of materials that can form in concentrated urine.
Calcium is a common mineral in renal calculi, and several studies show that potassium lowers calcium levels in the urine. In this way, potassium can help fight kidney stones and repeated urinary infections.
kidney stones can aggravate or cause the UTI.
Manganese is heavily concentrated in the pancreas.
It’s involved in the production of insulin, which removes sugar from your blood. Thus, manganese may contribute to the proper secretion of insulin and help stabilize blood sugar, and therefore has a major impact on UTI, as the elevated level of the sugar worsen UTI.
D-mannose is most effective with E. coli (85-90% the cause of recurrent UTI) and a few other organisms found in the urinary tract. However, the amounts found in these juices are substantially less than the 1/2 teaspoon.
In case of infection, D-mannose adheres to the bacterial wall, it covers the whole, and thus prevents the bacteria from sticking to the bladder wall.
When enough D-mannose is present in the urine, a large number of bacteria will be disabled, they will not stick to the wall of the bladder, or the infection will be prevented.
E. coli coated with D-mannose become non-sticky and easy to urinate out of the body. Vitamin C together with D-mannose in pineapple juice become a complete effect that provides a healthy urinary tract that is very useful for UTI.
The study shows that the pineapple extract has an antibacterial effect on Staphylococcus aureus due to the bromelain compound and its phytochemical factors, such as vitamin C and flavonoid compounds.
The fibers influence blood sugar control.
A person with diabetes, fibers slows the absorption of sugar and improves blood sugar levels. This can also prevent the growth of bacteria that cause UTI.
Fibers are necessary for the normal function of the bowel, if they are not fed in sufficient quantities, it can come to constipation, and constipation is a predisposing factor for UTI. why?
Beta carotene from pineapple juice is an antioxidant and can be beneficial for UTI. Beta-carotene turns into vitamin A in the body, which is necessary for a strong immune system and protects the body from bacteria that cause UTI.
How bromelain affects?
Enzyme Bromelain is very important to reducing inflammation, improving hay fever, treating ulcerative colitis, helping burns, losing fat, relaxing muscles, aiding arthritis, preventing cancer, etc.
Pineapple bromelain is mostly concentrated in the fruit’s stem. That’s the center or core of the fruit. This is also the part of the fruit some people avoid eating.
In canned pineapples, the core is also typically removed. However, you absolutely need to eat the center portion if you wish to reap the full health benefits it has to offer.
Because of this, the pineapple juice contains more bromelain than the flesh of the fruit itself.
Thanks to the proteolytic activity of bromelain, it is used as a digestion aid as a digestive agent that improves the absorption of nutrients from food and supplements.
Due to its effects on fibrinogen, bromelain can also prevent serious problems such as for example, coagulation. Bromelain digests fibrinogen and prevents blood glucose from interfering.
How bromelain affects UTI?
Enzyme Bromelain is excellent, but how it works on UTI?
Studies have shown that bromelain can be useful for UTI in combination with antibiotics.
The study included people with UTI who received antibiotics as therapy. They were divided into two groups, one bromelain and antibiotics, and other placebo and antibiotics.
The group with bromelain had 100 % healing, and the other group only 46 percent.
It’s good for those who need to get antibiotics in the first round of therapy, but bromelain is not a drug for a UTI, but it can only make the antibiotic most effective.
Bromelain supplements in which it is in large quantities can have a bad effect on antibiotics because they can increase their blood volume thereby increasing their side effects. But pineapple juice does not have a large amount of bromelain so it’s safe to drink it with antibiotics.
Concomitant use of bromelain and amoxicillin (used in UTI therapy) or tetracycline (they are used in the treatment of chlamydia that causes urinary infections) have been reported to increase the serum levels of these antibiotics.
Bromelain increases tissue permeability (the ability of a drug to reach the bacteria that reside inside the tissues) for penicillins and tetracyclines following oral administration. Bromelain has an anti-inflammatory role.
This means that it can work favorably on UTI, or reduce inflammatory symptoms of UTI such as the strong urge to urinate and passing frequent and small quantities of urine.
How to use pineapple juice for UTI?
It is believed that the most effective use of pineapples is on an empty stomach.
Bromelain, contained in the fruit, in combination with food does not show its useful properties. In combination with food, it only improves the body’s fermentation.
Consumption gives you benefits while drinking too much can overload sugar and calories. For the most effective balance of nutrients, sugar, and calories, opt for the total fruit over the juice.
Pineapple skin and whole fruits are not considered toxic, but unripe fresh, thorns, and the leaves have a toxic effect.
This is due to the enzyme bromelain, which is used as a meat tenderizer and is considered very low in toxicity. In large amounts, though, bromelain is believed to be the causal agent of symptoms of swelling or tenderness in and around the mouth.
The leaves and thorns also contain a sap that may be irritating to the skin.
Interactions
Bromelain can interfere with some medications, including some types of the following drugs:
antibiotics, blood thinners (Aspirin, Coumadin), antidepressants (Elavil), anticonvulsants (Dilantin, Depakote), sedatives (Xanax, Valium), drugs to treat insomnia, such as (Ambien, Sonata, Lunesta, Rozerem).
Be sure to consult your doctor before eating pineapple, if you are taking these medicines. Large amounts of bromelain can intensify or counteract the effects of these drugs.
Alcohol and certain herbal preparations, such as valerian, may also interact with bromelain. Bromelain also interacts with a painkiller (Diclofenac or Voltaren).
Vitamin C according to one study, at very high doses (3 g daily) might increase serum levels of acetaminophen (paracetamol). This could possibly allow the drug to accumulate to levels that may damage the liver.
But this is not found in the case of pineapple juice, as it contains 25 mg of vitamin C and it takes a lot of juice to make this concentration and negatively affect acetaminophen.
Cotrimoxazole, a medicine used for urinary infections, can cause harmful effects and lead to kidney damage and urinary bleeding if it is introduced with a large amount of vitamin C.
Therefore, it is better to drink pineapple juice in moderate amounts.
A large amount of potassium can be harmful to the kidneys that are not fully functional. If someone’s kidneys are unable to remove excess potassium from the blood, it could be fatal.
Too much potassium can also interfere with beta-blockers, a medication prescribed for heart disease.
Of course, pineapple does not contain that much potassium.
Diabetics must be careful because a cup of pineapple contains 15 grams of sugar, and a high intake can cause a sudden rise in blood sugar.
Bromelain can negatively affect people suffering from hemophilia or have problems with the kidneys and liver, as it affects blood coagulation.
A larger amount of pineapple juice should be avoided two weeks before surgery due to anticoagulant activity.
Side effects and contraindications
There are many wrong tips that pregnant women should not use pineapple juice because it causes miscarriage in the first trimester and stimulates contractions of the uterus in the third trimester.
Is it really so or is it a mistake, here is the explanation.
Bromelain from the pineapple degrades the protein and can cause bleeding and miscarriage if bromelain is used as a supplement, and simply drinking the pineapple juice will have no effect.
In 100 grams of the edible part of the pineapple, an average of 17 mg of bromelain is found, while one tablet of nutritional supplement usually contains 500 mg of bromelain.
It is quite clear that there is a big difference in the amount of bromelain in the fruit and in the preparation.
Conclusion
1. Pineapple juice is great to drink when you have a UTI. The water and the vitamins and minerals that are in it is very healthy for the people suffering from UTI.
2. Pineapple juice is sour taste and with a little sugar, therefore it is very good for UTI.
3. Because of the content of bromelain as an anti-inflammatory agent, it is very useful for UTI.
4. Thanks to the enzyme bromelain, the pineapple juice improves the efficiency of antibiotics used to treat UTI.
I hope that reading this article was useful and interesting. Thank you for your attention.