Thanks to our unique physiology—specifically a short urethra that makes it easier for bacteria to enter the urinary tract—women are a whopping 30 times more likely than men to be diagnosed with this common infection, according to theDepartment of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health.
A round of antibiotics is the most common course of treatment, and usually clears up the symptoms … temporarily. Once UTIs start, it’s tough to stop them: 25 to 40% of women who get a UTI will have at least one more within six months, according toone 2016 study.
Since they’re oh-so common, frequently recur and canspread to the kidneys and cause serious damage, scientists are on a mission to figure out why some women may get stuck in a vicious cycle of infection-antibiotics-infection-antibiotics. Turns out that Rx might make it easier for our bodies to fall victim to another infection.
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What This Gut Health Research Found
A study published May 2 inNature Microbiologyfound that the answer to getting out of this painful loop might be hiding in our guts: A course of antibiotics eliminates the disease-causing bacteria from the bladder, true, but not from the intestines. Antibiotics can kill off the good gut bacteria in the microbiome, allowing the surviving bacteria to have free rein to multiply and spread to the bladder once more—where the UTI might begin again.
To determine this, researchers studied urine, blood and stool samples of 15 women with recurrent UTIs (defined astwo in six months or three in one year) and 16 women without. They tracked the amount and types of bacteria in their stool, tested for bacteria in their urine and examined gene expression in their blood samples.
During the one-year study, 24 UTIs were diagnosed—all among those with histories of previous UTIs. The researchers then took additional samples from the women post-diagnosis to add to their database.
With two major gut health defenses down, the invading bacteria had more opportunity to proliferate and infect the urinary tract another time.
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While this was a small, fairly short-term study, the researchers hope these preliminary findings raise two major red flags:
The Bottom Line
Always be sure to talk to your doctor before making a lifestyle change or if you are experiencing symptoms of a UTI. For more on gut health, take a look at thebest and worst diets for gut health, then get a jump-start via our30-day healthy gut challenge.
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