It is very important to take vitamins while having a UTI in order to boost your immunity and prevent the disease from getting worse.
There are many vitamins that are important for the normal functioning of the body, but not all are equally favorable for UTI.
If you read this article carefully, you will be explained what all kinds of vitamins are, and I will pay special attention to those vitamins that are favorable for UTI.
Vitamins are organic compounds necessary for the body (in small quantities) to function: it has 13 different types of vitamins, and each has its own role.
Most vitamins are synthesized by plants, so the food of plant origin is essential for the normal development and functioning of the body.
Vitamins are divided by solubility into:
1. Water-soluble vitamins (hydrosoluble) to which they belong:
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid)B-complex vitamins, which include:
Vitamin B-1 (Thiamine)Vitamin B-2 (riboflavin)Vitamin B-3 (Vitamin PP)Vitamin B-5 (Pantothenic acid)Vitamin B-6 (pyridoxine)Vitamin B-9 (folic acid)Vitamin B-12 (Cobalamin)
2.Fat-soluble vitamins (liposolubility):
vitamins A, D, E, F, and K.
Improper diet can lead to avitaminosis, lack of some vitamin or hypovitaminosis, an insufficient amount of vitamin.
In contrast, the accumulation of vitamins in the body, the so-called hypervitaminosis occurs very rarely as a result of malnutrition as vitamins are found in small amounts in foods. It can occur when, due to disease, vitamins are taken in large quantities (injections or pills).
Vitamin C
it is one of the most important vitamins used in the fight against UTI.
It is a strong antioxidant, protects the body from free radicals that damage healthy cells and strengthens the immune system.
Vitamin C can increase the production of white blood cells, which are the main line of defense against infection. In this way, they also protect the body from bacteria that cause UTI.
It is very important to say that vitamin C forms nitric oxides with nitrates in the urine, which kills pathogenic bacteria in the urine. Vitamin C prevents bacteria from surviving by reducing the urine pH because the acidic environment kills bacteria causing UTI. Vitamin C stains the urine when given in large quantities.
Vitamin C has the role of stabilizing the level of cortisol, a hormone that increases blood sugar levels, and the increased blood sugar level attracts pathogens that cause UTI. Vitamin C can help prevent the onset of UTI symptoms.
Vitamin C plays a very important role in the synthesis of brain neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine (for energy and mood) and serotonin (for sleep and for well-being).
Unless serotonin is secreted, you do not sleep well, your immunity drops, and your UTI symptoms worsen. Therefore, it is important to consume sufficient amounts of Vitamin C to prevent the UTI from getting worse.
Research(page 50) has shown that people who took 500 mg of vitamin C daily for 10 years and more reduced their risk of prostate cancer by 60 percent. Any prostate problem exacerbates UTI symptoms, so here vitamin C also plays a very important role in improving UTI symptoms.
Vitamin C is taken in excess amounts as it can lead to the formation of kidney stones that aggravate UTI. Be careful with the amount of Vitamin C you are taking. It does not occur when you intake dietary vitamin C, but only when vitamin C is taken as supplements.
The daily dose for women is 60-75 mg and for men 90 mg. For example, one apple has 80 mg of vitamin C.
Smokers require a higher intake of vitamin C because it increases the oxidative stress of the organism.
Consumption of Vitamin C daily over 60 mg provides benefits for patients with type 1 diabetes, as they decrease the concentration of Vitamin C and this can increase the number of pathogenic bacteria that cause UTI.
Vitamin C plays a protective role in diabetics from damage that can cause blood sorbitol to increase.
One of the dietary supplements that contain Vitamin C and is rich in cranberries that contain an abundance of Vitamin C is another preparation.
Feel free to check out the following link.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is an essential vitamin required for normal immune system function, growth and development, vision, and reproduction.
It acts as a powerful antioxidant, which means that it is very important for boosting immunity. This helps important organs in the body to function normally.
Studies conducted for vitamin A supplementation have shown that if vitamin A supplementation is taken, it has beneficial effects on recurrent urinary tract infections. So vitamin A supplementation has an ancillary effect on the treatment of UTI.
B-group vitamins
or as they are often called complex B vitamins, allow energy to be released from sugar.
This energy is necessary for the functioning of nerve cells, heart-muscle cells, and all other muscle cells, as well as for the normal functioning of each individual cell in the body. B vitamins are essential for the whole body.
Vitamin B is very important for the immune system, more specifically, it strengthens the immune system, reduces stress, which is the trigger for a fall in the immune system, and thus may worsen UTI.
Vitamins B-2 and B-12 have no direct relation to UTI in general, of course, they do no harm to the body and have benefits for the treatment of anemia and cyanide poisoning.
Vitamin b-2 is used to increase energy in the body, reduces inflammation, does not directly affect UTIs, but boosting the immune system can cause UTIs not to worsen, indirectly.
Research(page 135) at the University of Massachusetts has shown that vitamin B-3 can prevent the onset of type 1 diabetes, and helps with type 2 diabetes with insulin resistance.
Type 2 diabetes often produces excess insulin, but the patient’s body is unable to regulate insulin causing insulin resistance. For type 2, 500 mg of vitamin B-3 is recommended daily.
The researchers added to this combination of vitamin C and vitamin B3, which can prevent high blood sugar. This is very important for UTI because it prevents the worsening of UTI symptoms.
High-dose vitamin B-3 can rapidly increase blood sugar levels in patients with type 2 diabetes and exacerbate the symptoms associated with the UTI problem very quickly.
Vitamin B-5. Consumption of large amounts of fat is the reason for gaining weight and obesity. It is very dangerous to accumulate fat in the abdomen.
There is a large amount of insulin secretion, which leads to diabetes.
Diabetes, accompanied by elevated blood sugar levels, causes UTI to worsen. Vitamin B-5 could somehow help prevent this from occurring.
Vitamin B-6
plays a fundamental role in the formation of atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. Its direct impact on UTI has not been proven.
Vitamin B-9
has a role in reducing homocysteine (a major cause of atherosclerosis).
Diabetics are a high-risk group of patients for increasing homocysteine.
Folic acid, vitamins B-6, and B-12 reduce the amount of homocysteine by 32 percent.
Although the exact role of homocysteine is not known, a small amount of folic acid, B-6, and B-12 may restore the amount of homocysteine to normal.
All this can help diabetics who are at risk of developing UTI to prevent the worsening of UTI symptoms.
Vitamin B is reduced in the case of increased alcohol consumption, use of refined sugars, nicotine, and caffeine. Vitamin B deficiency then occurs, and in some ways, these substances can indirectly affect the exacerbation of UTI symptoms.
Caffeine is known to directly exacerbate UTI and it is not good ingesting it while suffering from UTI.
Vitamin E
Research is done at the University of Arak in Iran has shown the effect of vitamin E on UTI in 152 girls aged 5 to 12 years with the first acute episode of pyelonephritis.
Half of these girls received antibiotic-only therapy, and the other half received vitamin E with an antibiotic. they found that the group of girls who received vitamin E also had fewer shivers, decreased frequent urination. There were no significant changes in the urine culture results.
Although vitamin E supplementation was not significantly different from the antibiotic alone in terms of short-term urine culture, its use is recommended from the start of treatment to reduce and improve clinical symptoms in the acute phase of UTI.
Vitamin E is a major antioxidant that protects all cells from damage, reducing the amount of inflammatory substance (prostaglandin E2) that also occurs in inflammatory processes in UTI.
Antioxidants are very important in boosting immunity, so vitamin E can be very useful in this and indirectly help to improve UTI symptoms.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is best synthesized when people are exposed to sunlight. If you are not sufficiently exposed to the sun, your body will not be able to synthesize enough vitamin D and a deficiency of this vitamin will occur.
Therefore, the best way to use Vitamin D as a supplement during the winter months.
Vitamin D is very important for various functions in your body, including the proper absorption of phosphorus into the bloodstream. This is very important for mental health because it allows cell repair and tissue growth in your brain and body, it is important as the prevention of colds and flu and therefore used to boost immunity.
Stronger immunity is very important for improving the symptoms of UTI, but also not to aggravate UTI.
Vitamin D through its active form 1, 25 (OH)2D3 suppresses the acquired form of immunity in autoimmune diseases and has a beneficial effect as protection against the rejection of transplanted organs.
While innate immunity stimulates the immune response by providing the first line of defense against bacteria. In this way, it strengthens the immune system and is useful for UTI because it helps fight the bacteria that cause UTI as well.
in other words, it suppresses the part of the immune system that causes inflammation and stimulates the good part of the immune system that fights bacteria. The dose is 800-1000 I .j per day, and in supplements, it is found mainly at a concentration of 400 I .j.
Vitamin D supplementation can prevent UTIs. a research has been done for five years and it has been found that vitamin D supplementation helps prevent UTI. Studies have shown that vitamin D helps fight UTI by increasing the production of antimicrobial peptides.
However, in large quantities, Vitamin D causes constipation, which has a negative effect on UTI.
Constipation associated with high levels of vitamin D in the elderly may result in the collection of feces in the rectum. This can cause pressure on the urethra, which can even obstruct it. The bladder is then unable to empty, and if continued stretching it can completely lead to incontinence.
Therefore, it is best to use it preventively on the advice of a doctor or pharmacist to boost immunity, not to overdo it in order not to aggravate your UTI.
Vitamin F
it’s called unsaturated fatty acids, although it does not have a true vitamin character. Natural sources are wheat germ, flax seeds, sunflowers, soybeans, and peanuts.
It helps prevent cholesterol deposition in the arteries, suppresses heart disease and contributes to skin and hair health. Vitamin F deficiency causes eczema and acne. This vitamin has no direct effect on UTI.
Interactions
Aminoglycoside antibiotics (Gentamicin, Amikacin) used to treat UTIs significantly increase their alkaline activity in the urine which would mean that large amounts of vitamin C that are taken into the body can reduce the effect of aminoglycoside antibiotics in UTI therapy. So be careful when you take vitamin C and you are on aminoglycosides for UTI.
Studies have shown that 27-39 percent of people with Parkinson’s have a bladder disorder and 15 % are unable to control their bladder. The dopamine system is known to play a role in urinary control.
Vitamin B-6 reduces the action of levodopa, a drug used in Parkinson’s disease, and thus exacerbates the emptying of the urinary bladder and thus exacerbates UTI. These individuals should be cautious about changing their B-6 to prevent their UTI from getting worse.
Sulfonamide (cotrimoxazole) used in the treatment of UTI in acidic urine (when a large amount of vitamin C is taken via supplements) crystallizes, causing damage to the kidney tubules and the appearance of blood in the urine (hematuria).
So you should be careful with a high intake of vitamin C if you are on sulfonamide therapy.
In the administration of co-trimoxazole (sulfamethoxazole + trimethoprim) due to the undesirable effect of trimethoprim as a folic acid blocker, it is manifested by anemia, leukopenia, granulocytopenia.
Leukopenia is a small leukocyte count that leads to decreased immunity and increases the risk of pathogenic bacteria and UTIs. This can be easily prevented by the administration of folic acid at a dose of 8 mg/kg per day.
Conclusion
1. Vitamins are generally good for boosting the immune system.
2. Vitamin C plays a very recognized role in preventing the proliferation of bacteria that cause UTI.
3. It is important to take the right amount of vitamins to avoid overdosing. And, of course, care is taken not to bring them in smaller quantities.
4. It is also important that you take care when you are taking UTI therapy so that the intake of certain vitamins does not interfere with the effect of the medicine prescribed by your doctor.