Reviewed records available

Cranberry

Vaccinium macrocarpon

Cranberry is a good test of whether an evidence page can resist a slogan. A large review found a preventive signal for women with recurrent UTIs, but not for every population. It studied prevention with juices, tablets, capsules, and powders, not treatment of an infection that is already present.

Evidence snapshot reviewed October 16, 2026

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Botanical identity

Which plant this profile means

This profile is tied to Vaccinium macrocarpon and does not treat every Vaccinium species or cranberry-flavored product as equivalent.

Scientific name
Vaccinium macrocarpon
WCVP taxon ID
2457729
Atlas record
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Preparation boundaries

Same plant, different exposure

These forms stay separate in the evidence bank. A result for one cannot be copied onto the others.

Food or culinary use

fruit · Taken by mouth

Cranberry fruit or ordinary food intake is not equivalent to a juice regimen, capsule, extract, or a product standardized for proanthocyanidins.

Mixed preparations

fruit-derived juice, tablet, capsule, or powder · Taken by mouth

Evidence pooled across cranberry products does not establish that every product, proanthocyanidin content, or dose is interchangeable.

Research-bot status

Some evidence cards are public. The rest of the queue isn’t.

The reviewed cards below cleared a separate publication check. The remaining candidate extractions stay private until their source, wording, and preparation match are reviewed.

Sources in review
1
Possible claims found
4
Still awaiting review
0
Blocked source
0

Research connections

What this ingredient has been studied around

UTI prevention

A reviewed, preparation-specific evidence card is published for this source.

Reviewed evidence

1 source-linked record

Evidence synthesis Mixed or uncertain 50 studies with 8,857 randomized participants

Cranberry for UTI prevention: the population matters

This review found a preventive signal for women with recurrent UTIs, but not for every group. In the recurrent-UTI subgroup, cranberry products were linked to a lower risk of symptomatic, culture-confirmed infection. The same review found little or no benefit for institutionalized older adults, pregnant women, or adults with bladder-emptying problems. It studied prevention, not treatment of an infection that is already present.

What was studied
Cranberry juices, tablets, capsules, or powders; products and proanthocyanidin content were not interchangeable
Setting
Not an efficacy study
Why it ranks here
The recurrent-UTI subgroup had a moderate-certainty benefit signal, while several other prespecified populations had null results and the products varied substantially.
Limits and cautions
  • The pooled products included juices, tablets, capsules, and powders with uncertain equivalence.
  • The recurrent-UTI estimate came from eight studies and had moderate heterogeneity.
  • Pregnancy, institutionalized older adults, and neuromuscular bladder dysfunction had separate null findings and should not be merged with otherwise healthy women with recurrent UTIs.
  • The review does not support using cranberry to treat an existing UTI or delaying appropriate medical care.
  • Evidence was very uncertain on whether juice and tablets, or different proanthocyanidin doses, work differently.

This record covers prevention in defined populations. Painful urination, fever, flank pain, pregnancy, recurrent infection, or worsening symptoms can require prompt clinical assessment and should not be managed as a cranberry experiment.

Profile sources

Read the source material