There’s a New Drink That Can Help Prevent UTIs

Urinary tract infections—a.k.a. UTIs—are at best, uncomfortable and at worst, can feel like a demon ripping apart your insides. Even if you do everything recommended to prevent infections, such as keeping hydrated, drinking cranberry juice, going to the bathroom when nature calls and of course, wiping front to back, it can still happen. The National Kidney Foundation says that UTIs are responsible for 10 million doctor visits every year and one in five women will experience an infection in her lifetime.

There is some new hope for UTI sufferers. A company called Uqora has created a sugar-free drink mix that may help prevent those annoying infections.

From Techcrunch:

“When you get a UTI, it’s because bacteria gets in the urinary tract and attaches to the wall of the urethra,” Uqora founder Spencer Gordon explains. “The product prevents the bacteria from being able to attach to the wall, so it can’t get inside the cells.”

[…]

Since 90 percent of UTIs are caused by sex or any prolonged physical activity that transfers bacteria to the entrance of the urethra (including riding a bike or playing sports in spandex), Uqora recommends drinking one serving within an hour of engaging in these activities.

So after a hot night of boning or a torturous spin class, you can mix yourself one of these beverages and hope for the best.

Antibiotics are the only treatment currently available for urinary tract infections. Uquora’s goal for their products is to reduce antibiotic use, which is great news for that whole, scary antibiotics resistance thing.