Water intake and UTIs - how much do you need?



Qualified Nutritionist (BSc, MSc, RNutr)
@emmatalkshealth
emmatalksutis
@EmmaThornton
Ask Emma


17 June 2019

Should you be drinking more water?

At A.Vogel we often discuss the importance of drinking enough water. Keeping properly hydrated can help support a number of systems in the body and may potentially prevent a number of common health conditions including cystitis.

As much as this principle is quite naturopathic in nature, much like many of the other practices we have known for years, this one  works and so we continue to recommend it – we now handily have some scientific evidence to help back this idea up too.

One particular randomised control trial involved comparing the effects of willing pre-menopausal women drinking 1.5l litres of water throughout the course of day, versus a similar subset of women making no effort to consume any additional water to their usual intakes, ( it turns out this ‘usual intake’ was considerably less than 1.5l, on average). All women had reportedly experienced at least 3 urinary tract infections in the year prior, so were considered regular sufferers.

Impressively, those women with the increased water intake were found to have 50% fewer incidences of UTIs, and were therefore prescribed fewer antibiotics than their control counterparts.1 Quite the result!

The authors concluded that whilst the trial wasn’t blind (this would be hard to achieve when increasing water intake was the habit being investigated), the results are certainly encouraging at the very least. 

They concluded that increasing your water intake to 1.5l daily is a cheap, environmentally friendly option (especially if picking low plastic means, of course) and an effective way to help prevent cystitis and UTIs – much in line with our advice then! Plus, other trials have also had similar results.2

What if you don’t like the taste?

As much as many of our health-related tips consist of quite simple tricks, many people still find that they struggle to stick to them. 

When it comes to water, many people claim they can’t stomach it, or that they don’t like the taste. Are you one of them? If so, I have some tips to hopefully help you overcome this:

  • Drink it cold – Although wherever possible we say not to stock up on too much freezing cold water (it isn’t so gentle on your digestive system and in line with Chinese Medicine, it may upset your Qi or flow of energy), if it means you’re able to drink more water then I’m all for it! If some, cool crisp water is your preference, then this is fine, don’t fret.
  • Heat it up! Again, if room temperature water just isn’t your thing, popping some warm water from a recently boiled kettle into a mug can make a suitable alternative. It’s surprisingly comforting (yes, even without the added caffeine!) and it will still add to your hydration count.
  • Add some fruit – People often get a little pedantic when it comes to fruit intake and cystitis; ‘Could certain varieties be making things worse!?’ However, the bottom line is, if it means you’ll drink more water, adding a little fruit (too much of anything isn’t necessarily a good thing) certainly won’t do you any harm! Berries, cucumber and citrus fruits make particularly popular choices but of course, by all means get more experimental and find a combination that suits you!
  • Jazz it up with some herbs – Herbs are another option to consider adding to your water if you’re struggling to meet your daily quota. Mint is often a top pick but you can always get a bit more creative with options such as basil, sage, rosemary, tarragon, thyme or lavender proving rather pleasant. 

Do other drinks containing water count?

When we ask about people’s water intake, most will initially assume that they’re nicely on track. However, when we delve a little deeper this may be up for some debate. Unfortunately, other drinks made from water such as teas, coffees or juices don’t quite make the cut, in our books.

Many of these other liquid options actually contain ingredients such as caffeine which can risk acting as mild diuretics and ultimately result in us losing excess water in the long run. 

Whilst caffeine-free herbal teas are often considered preferable options, some of these can even still have some mild diuretic properties. Therefore, we stand by our original advice and recommend sticking with the 1.5l of plain, still, water and add in herbal teas on top of this as you wish.

Does going fizzy make things worse?

On the mention of ‘still water’, another common query is whether or not fizzy water counts towards our daily intake. Again, if we’re going to be strictly naturopathic about it, we’d have to say no. Plus, again, there is now some evidence to suggest that fizzy water may not be quite so kind on our system as good old plain water.

Some preliminary research by Aston University in Birmingham suggested that fizzy water, for one, could influence hunger hormones and potentially make us eat more – yikes! If that’s not reason enough to not favour the fizz, I don’t know what is. 

But, it’s entirely possible the fizz could be affecting us in more ways than one and perhaps having some chemical influence elsewhere, with the gas element having the potential to alter pHs, for example. So, why take the chance? And that’s why we say to stick to still.

The links with digestive health

Whilst the authors of the aforementioned trial1  hypothesized that water helps keep your bladder flushing through and gives bacteria less time to stick (which makes perfect sense!) there may be more to it than that. 

We also understand that there are close links with your urinary tract and your digestive tract; after all, it’s all in very close proximity!

This means in states such as constipation where we know that the balance of bacteria in your gut can become affected, we may be more at risk of conditions such as cystitis. Especially when it comes to interstitial cystitis, there does seem to be some association between the two conditions.

Once again though, water may have an important part to play in managing this condition. Keeping properly hydrated is often one of the simplest, yet most effective first steps to help tackle constipation and for this very reason, could have some positive impact on your urinary tract too – so drink up!

Adding Uva-ursi to your water 

If you’ve been unfortunate enough to succumb to an infection, adding our Uva-ursi & Echinacea tincture to your water may be the best course of action. 

Now, as with all our tinctures, our advice is to add it to only a very small splash of water (approximately 5-10mls) in order to support optimal absorption. However, you can just be sure to stock up on plenty of water, aiming for the recommended 1.5l, throughout the rest of the day.

My Top Tip:

Take A.Vogel's Uva-ursi & Echinacea drops 5 times daily to help overcome symptoms of cystitis. You remain vulnerable after a bout of cystitis, so it's important to prevent reinfection by following good hygiene practices. 

These drops can be taken for up to 6 weeks at a time, but you should talk to your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 7 days.


“Perfect for bladder strength.”

 

Read what other people are saying about Uva-ursi.

 

1. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2705077

2. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2705079


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