Dietary factors protecting women from urinary tract infection.
BACKGROUND
Because urinary tract infections (UTIs) are caused by bacteria in the stool, dietary factors may affect the risk of contracting a UTI by altering the properties of the fecal bacterial flora.


OBJECTIVE
We studied dietary and other risk factors for UTI in fertile women in a case-control setting.


METHODS
One hundred thirty-nine women from a health center for university students or from the staff of a university hospital (mean age: 30.5 y) with a diagnosis of an acute UTI were compared with 185 age-matched women with no episodes of UTIs during the past 5 y. Data on the women's dietary and other lifestyle habits were collected by questionnaire. A risk profile for UTI expressed in the form of adjusted odds ratios (ORs) with 95% CIs was modeled in logistic regression analysis for 107 case-control pairs with all relevant information.


RESULTS
Frequent consumption of fresh juices, especially berry juices, and fermented milk products containing probiotic bacteria was associated with a decreased risk of recurrence of UTI: the OR for UTI was 0.66 (95% CI: 0.48, 0.92) per 2 dL juice. A preference for berry juice over other juices gave an OR of 0.28 (95% CI: 0.14, 0.56). Consumption of fermented milk products > or = 3 times/wk gave an OR of 0.21 (95% CI: 0.06, 0.66) relative to consumption < 1 time/wk. Intercourse frequency was associated with an increased risk of UTI (OR for > or = 3 times/wk compared with < 1 time/wk: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.16, 6.2).


CONCLUSIONS
Dietary habits seem to be an important risk factor for UTI recurrence in fertile women, and dietary guidance could be a first step toward prevention.
Kontiokari
Tero
T
Department of Pediatrics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Laitinen
Jaana
J
Järvi
Leea
L
Pokka
Tytti
T
Sundqvist
Kaj
K
Uhari
Matti
M
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001628:Beverages; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003075:Coitus; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004032:Diet; D005243:Feces / Q000382:microbiology; D005260:Female; D005285:Fermentation; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D008892:Milk / Q000378:metabolism / Q000382:microbiology; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D016017:Odds Ratio; D019936:Probiotics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D012008:Recurrence; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*